


Unforeseen Consequences

by KarToon12



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Action/Adventure, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-07 17:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 63,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11063835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarToon12/pseuds/KarToon12
Summary: (Takes place during G1, but with a modern update.) The sequel to "The Blind Girl Shall Lead Them", and the last in the "Guitar Hero" trilogy. Kayla Matthews' future with the Autobots is called into question...then things take a turn for the worst when Wheeljack's new invention turns her into a femme.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: You need to have read "Guitar Hero" and/or "The Blind Girl Shall Lead Them" to know who Kayla is. Also note that this was written AGES ago, and my writing style has changed a bit since then, so check out my later fan fics as well to see how I've improved. Oh, and one IMPORTANT THING: This is the G1 version of the show, but it takes place in contemporary times, so even though it's around the second season of the show, it's 2008, not 1984, okay? (Yes, 2008 was when this was written--shows how old it is. XD )

The intense rays of the sun beat down on the reddish-orange, rocky hills of the Oregon desert, as two giant robots stared each other down; their optics blazing with hatred that came only from years of constant war. Behind them both were an armada of equally powerful and well-armed automatons; weapons at the ready and prepared to attack. But Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, daren't make a move…not when his Decepticon nemesis, Megatron, had their human ally clutched tightly in his hand.

The mission started off simple enough; the robotic enemies to Earth were plundering a laboratory of all its resources, and it was up to the planet's equally-matched protectors to stop them. But things became complicated when scientists being taken hostage were added to the mix. After much debating, their tactical officer, Prowl, offered the only solution he could come up with-send in their human friends to free the scientists while the 'Bots created a distraction. For Spike and Carly's part, they were more than up for the task, and happy to help their metal comrades in some way. Fighting alongside giant robots DOES prove difficult when you only come up to the top of their ankle in the size department.

But a few well-placed explosions and a swoop from Laserbeak later, and things quickly turned sour. Although the scientists made it out okay, the same couldn't be said for Spike, who now wriggled hopelessly in Megatron's death grip, trying to get free. He managed to catch a glimpse of Carly, who was huddled behind Bumblebee; a tear rolling down her face as she feared for her boyfriend's life. It was times like this he wished he were bigger.

"So, what shall it be, Prime?" the Decepticon leader snickered, "Relinquish all the energon deposits, or your little friend will suffer a most untimely demise."

"Optimus! Don't do it!" the boy cried out.

But Megatron would hear none of it, "Silence, boy!" 

 He tightened his grip, causing the human to let loose a cry of pain. That was all the more Prime needed to hear. He held up a hand in surrender, "That's enough! Let the boy go. We'll give you what you want."

His troops gasped; staring at him as if he just lost his mind. Prowl spoke up, "But sir…!"

The red and blue 18-wheeler truck turned to the police car, his voice firm, "We cannot allow any harm to come to Spike. Not only that, but other human lives are at stake here as well. We can't risk it."

From behind the metal tyrant, Skywarp teased, "Yeah, so why don't you listen to your leader and back off?"

Before any Autobots could say otherwise, the jet ducked into the building, where Soundwave was already preparing the energon cubes. Ignoring his subordinate, Megatron flashed Optimus a wicked grin, "A wise decision, Prime. And a pleasure doing business with you."

With that, he tossed the boy to his arch enemy, much like a rag doll, before joining his troops in raiding the laboratory. In one quick motion, Prime sub-spaced his rifle, before diving forward with cupped hands and caught the human as gently as he could. "Are you alright?" he asked.

But Spike was too busy catching his breath to answer. Instead, he merely gave a limp nod. When he finally DID find his voice, he looked up at the Autobot leader with the most pitiful expression, "Prime…why did you do it? I'm not worth it…"

Before the boy could say anymore, Optimus held him at optic level; his voice firm, "Your father and my troops would say differently."

From behind him, his squad all nodded in agreement. Leaving the explanation at that, he lowered his hand to the ground, and Spike hopped off and into the arms of his relieved girlfriend, who hugged him tighter than the Decepticon tyrant ever could.

Speaking of whom, the villains in question had just finished up gathering the last of the energon cubes; taking to the air as fast as their engines would carry them. All the while, Megatron kept his arm cannon trained on his enemies-watching for any false movements. But the 'Bots kept true to the deal and could only stare helplessly as the dictator finally went airborne and followed his troops; both he and his fellow 'Cons becoming nothing but a speck in the sky a moment later.

Back on the ground, the heroic mechs sub-spaced their weapons, looking to the clouds above in anger and defeat. Although they were all relieved for the minimal damage and light injuries, it still didn't take the sting out of the loss. But ever the hopeful one, Optimus Prime turned to address his comrades, "The scientists were rescued, and not a single life was lost. Well done, everyone. Transform and roll out!"

The mechs remained quiet, but did as told and shifted to their vehicle forms, with Spike and Carly getting into Bumblebee. With that, a dejected armada of cars and trucks left the gorge; a dust trail as their only witness as they headed for home. For the first minute or two, the trip was silent. That was, until Bumblebee spoke up; concern in his voice, "What's the matter, Spike?" When he didn't get an answer, he tried again, "Carly?"

The blond looked to her boyfriend, to which he sighed in a manner that clearly said something was bothering him. When he finally found the nerve to talk, his voice was filled with nothing but guilt, "It's all my fault."

"What is?" the Volkswagen asked.

Spike huffed, "You know exactly what. We wouldn't have lost that battle today if I hadn't gotten in the way."

But the Beetle would hear none of it, "What are you talking about? Those scientists wouldn't have been rescued if it hadn't been for you and Carly. And that's all that really matters."

For just a moment, the boy smiled, "Thanks Bee." But the smirk soon faded, "But I still wish I could've done more."

Carly put a hand on his shoulder, "There wasn't anything you could do. Or me. I mean, let's face it, it's kind of hard to defend yourself against a robot that's twenty feet taller than you."

Spike nodded his head, although the matter still just didn't sit right with him. His eyebrows furrowed in thought, and he mumbled, "It's times like this I wish we were both as tall as you guys. Then we could probably help you better."

From over the radio comm., Cliffjumper added in, "Yeah, and then we wouldn't have to rescue you and Carly all the time."

Even though the 'Bots couldn't make facial expressions in car form, 'Bee's surprise was clear in his voice as he gasped, "Cliffjumper!"

The red minibot went on, unfazed, "What? I'm just sayin'…"

Trying to take the hurt out of his comrade's words, the Beetle quickly replied, "Don't listen to him. We like you both just the way you are. Take it from me, sometimes it's good to be small."

The two humans couldn't help but chuckle at that. But little did everyone know, the red, white, and green Lancia speeding next to Cliffjumper, who also happened to be the Autobot's resident scientist and inventor, had taken the minibot's words to heart. It was never clear just what was going on in Wheeljack's CPU, but one thing was certain as they all made it back to headquarters; he had an idea.


	2. Chapter 2

_I saw a spider, I didn't scream_

_'Cause I can belch the alphabet, just double dog dare me_

_And I chose guitar over ballet_

_And I'll take these suckers down, 'cause they just get in my way_

_The way you look at me is kinda' like a little sister_

_You high five your goodbyes, and it leaves me covered in blisters_

_So I don't wanna' be one of the boys_

_One of your guys…just gimme' a chance to prove to you tonight_

_That I just wanna' be one of the girls_

_Pretty in pearls…not one-one of the boys_

 

"Pfft. Yeah right. Like I would be caught dead in a dress", laughed a red head; scoffing at the radio.

"What about th' concert at Scratch's place?" asked the driver next to her.

The girl tipped her sunglasses down and gave her companion a playful stare, even though the eyes behind them couldn't see anything, "Hey, that was just because I HAD to. If it were my choice, I could've stepped on that stage naked and wouldn't have cared."

The driver raised a brow and smirked, "Primus, if 'ya did that, 'da show woulda' been sold out…and 'dey wouldn't a' come fer' 'da guitar playin' either…"

The teenager gasped and gave her friend a playful punch in the shoulder, "JAZZ!"

At that point, the Autobot laughed out loud, and soon enough, his human companion was giggling along with him. But such banter was to be expected from the black and white saboteur, and the blind musician he had befriended over three years ago. After dropping Mrs. Matthews off at work, her daughter, Kayla, started the usual chit-chat about the day's schedule, their assigned duties, and then the excited music talk with new songs she learned and such. The routine had become so natural and commonplace, that the girl's visits had escalated from a few times a week, to daily; so much so that Prowl had added her name to the duty lists right next to her other human friends.

As the pair left the city, Jazz felt it safe to switch off his human hologram-his Cajun voice now lofting through the speakers, "So, whatcha' want for ya' birthday comin' up? Anythin' special?"

Kayla chuckled, "My birthday? It's not for another three months; you know that."

"Just wanted ta' get th' jump on it", the saboteur replied, "Pardon me for forgetin' , but how old ya' gonna' be again?"

The musician's tone turned a bit wistful, "21…can't believe it's been over three years now since we met. The time goes by so quick."

"Don't I know it", Jazz said; his voice also reminiscent, "TOO quick for me. Speakin' a' which, 21's a pretty important day 'fer you humans, right?"

Kayla shook her head, "Yeah, if drinking's your thing."

There was a moment of silence, before the Autobot spoke with a bit of hesitance, "…you wouldn't' start doin' that stuff, right?"

The girl waved a hand, "Nah. You know I'm not like that." She then giggled, "Now you sound like my mom."

As the buildings started to give way to more desert, Jazz asked, "How's she been keepin' up anyway?" It was then that an awkward silence fell in the Porsche; Kayla's smile lessening a bit. When she didn't answer straight away, the Autobot tried again, "…everythin' okay?"

The musician sighed, trying to find the right words, "Well, she's fine…it's just that…well…we haven't really been seeing eye to eye lately."

Jazz couldn't help but chuckle at the pun. But when his friend didn't laugh along, he quickly muttered an apology, before continuing, "Well, uh…if ya' don't mind me askin', what's up?"

The girl was hoping she wouldn't have to bring it up, especially because of who it involved exactly. But the saboteur was like an older brother she never had; she knew a secret was safe with him. Leaning her head against the window, she tried to find the right words, "Well…to make a long story short, I've been thinking about moving out." When the Autobot didn't say anything, she added, "As in, not live with my mom anymore."

"Oh, I see", he piped up, "And yer' ma' ain't likin' that too much?"

Kayla shook her head, "Not really. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but she still thinks I need constant watching. I've been trying to prove otherwise, but she's still not convinced." After a pause, she continued, "…might've gone differently if dad were here, but…"

Her voice went quiet and she trailed off from there, not knowing what to say. But the Porsche knew all too well. It may have been three years since they met, but it was also at least two years since her father had been killed in action. Those first few weeks were nothing short of rough. But ever the strong-willed, both her and her mother had picked themselves up again, and life went on. With the silence dragging on, Jazz cleared his vocals, trying to change the subject a bit, "So…where were ya' thinkin' 'bout movin' to?"

There was another moment's pause as she contemplated her decision, and how well her gargantuan comrades would take it. Folding her arms, she said; her tone serious, "For now, keep this between us, okay?"

If Jazz could wink in car form, he would, but the action was evident in his response, "You know I'm good at keepin' secrets."

Kayla smiled; abit more relaxed knowing she could tell her problems in confidence, "Okay…well…I gave it a lot of thought, and…of course, it's up to you guys, but…I was kinda' wondering if I could…stay with you…at the Ark, I mean."

At that moment, the car went into a hard swerve, causing the red head to yelp in surprise and throw her arms out to hold onto something. But just as quickly as it had happened, the Autobot eased on the brakes and straightened himself out; thankfully, no one was around. The second she caught her breath, the musician adjusted her sunglasses and gasped, "Jazz! Are you okay? Did we hit something? What happened?"

A few tense seconds went by, before the saboteur spoke, "Uh…no, I…ya' just…took me by surprise is all."

Kayla blinked; utterly dumbfounded, "I took you by surprise? That's it?!"

If the 'Bot could wince, he would; muttering a sheepish reply, "Um…sorry?" The girl just sighed and shook her head, so he continued, "Well, it's just…I just wasn't expectin' ya' to be considerin' that is all."

The red head leaned forward in concern, "So…are you…mad?"

Now it was Jazz's turn to be shocked, "Mad? What would ever make ya' think that? That's da' best news I've ever heard!" He let out a laugh, "Ya' just made me th' happiest 'Bot in the universe!"

Kayla smiled; relaxing in her seat again, "Well, I figured since Spike and Sparkplug room with you guys, it wouldn't be that hard. And I've stayed over before, and…you guys would help me out, right?"

"'Course we would", the Autobot replied without missing a beat, "And you'd be right there, ready 'ta help us, and it'd save a lot of trips."

"Exactly", the girl nodded.

As the road started to turn into more dirt and gravel, Jazz made sure to choose his next words carefully, "So…is that what 'yer mom's mad about?"

The musician's grin lessened, her face going serious again, "Sort of…just that, well…she doesn't really know where I wanna' stay."

Comprehension dawned, "Ya' didn't tell her?"

The girl shook her head, "Are you kidding? Mom would flip if she even got a whiff of what I've been thinking." She fiddled with her cane; passing it between her fingers as she thought, "And I KNOW if she found out about Spike being held for ransom, I'd never hear from you guys ever again."

A noticeable shiver ran through Jazz's frame as he thought back, "Over a month now since that happened and it still gives us th' chills." There was a pause, before he added in, a bit quietly, "…ya' DID take that into consideration too, right?"

Kayla gave a solemn nod and sharp intake of air, "Unfortunately, yes. And I know Optimus'll be thinking about that too." She ran a hand through her red locks, "The only thing I can think of in my defense is that I'd never be in the field, for obvious reasons." She motioned to her eyes and added, "I'd be safe in the Ark, right?"

At that moment, Jazz didn't know how to answer. His basic instincts told him otherwise, and yet, he didn't want to believe it…especially not when it meant he could be with his best friend all the time. So instead, he gave a quick, "Right."

The girl then leaned forward and slid her hands together, like one would if they were praying, "PLEASE don't tell my mom any of this."

But the saboteur still seemed a bit unsure, "…ya' sure it's okay to lie to her like that?"

Letting out the breath she was holding, she leaned back in her seat again and folded her arms, "For now, what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Although the Autobot wanted to address the issue more, it would have to wait, for the duo finally arrived at the mountain where their gargantuan cruiser, the Ark, had crash landed millions of years ago. Stopping once inside the entrance, the Porsche opened his passenger door up wide so Kayla could easily slide out with her guitar. Once she was out, the saboteur transformed and began to walk beside her; her cane, her memory, and years of practice her guide. But it wasn't long into their trek, before Sideswipe came barreling towards the duo like a kid at Christmas; a huge grin on his face. "Mornin' Jazz, hey Kayla", he greeted.

"Hey Sides", the red head chirped in kind-recognizing the voice instantly, "What's got you all excited?"

"It's Wheeljack's new invention", the Lamborghini explained, "He's gonna' make a presentation in a couple of minutes and wants everyone to come see." He then leaned in and added, "And guess what? He was able to make it without a single explosion."

Jazz let out a whistle, "Wow. 'Dat IS amazin' then."

"Well, what IS it?" the girl scratched her head.

The red Lambo shrugged, "Beats me, but whatever it is, it definitely sounds like it's gonna' be big. Come on, let's go!"

With that, he took off down a hallway just as fast as he had come. Kayla then faced Jazz's direction, giving him a puzzled look and shrugging. Taking that as his cue, the 'Bot knelt down and scooped the musician into his hand; depositing her on his shoulder. "Well, I guess we better see what all the fuss is 'bout", the saboteur muttered.

The duo made their way down the orange corridors, stopping every so often to talk to their comrades that passed by. In particular, Kayla was interested to speak to the Aerialbots, since it wasn't very often she got to meet them, with the five recruits still being fairly new. But stories about Cybertron and the mysterious Vector Sigma would have to wait for now, for a crowd had begun to gather around the doors to the science lab. Being third in command, Jazz had no problems getting through, and he quickly found a spot where he could clearly see the Autobot inventor. The red head gave him a nudge; trying to ignore the familiar odors of smoke and burnt metal that came with being in a laboratory, "So, who's all here? Gettin' hard for me to pick out all the voices."

The saboteur quickly did a head count. Wheeljack was busy setting up his presentation, with Ratchet and Perceptor helping him. Nearby was Optimus, alert and attentive as always, along with Skyfire; his science-loving presence being obvious. The audience included the aforementioned Sideswipe and his brother; Ironhide; a few of the Minibots; Prowl, who was busy writing on a data pad, and Bumblebee, with Spike, Sparkplug, and Carly next to him. As Jazz named off everyone, Kayla's eyes went wide. "Wow…'Jack never drew a crowd this big before", she noted, "Must be really serious."

Just as the black and white 'Bot was about to comment, the room hushed as Wheeljack held up his hands and called for attention, "Alright everyone, settle down. Let's get 'dis show on the road."

"This better be good", Sunstreaker called from the back of the room, "I'm givin' up a sparin' match for this."

The minibot he would've been up against snickered, "You would've lost anyway."

The yellow Lambo clenched his teeth, "Watch it, Brawn…"

Not wanting a full scale brawl to erupt, Skyfire felt it best to step in, "I'm sure one practice fight can wait for whatever Wheeljack has to show us." He then turned to the inventor, "Please, continue."

The Lancia let out a sigh, before addressing the group, "THANK you…ANYWAY, as I was tryin' to say; as you all might've noticed, the Decepticons have started to really amp up their defenses recently, what with the Stunticons AND the Combaticons showin' up."

A few agreeing mumbles rippled through the crowd, before Cosmos piped up, "Yes, it's hard enough to deal with just the Constructicons, and now they have TWO more combiner teams?! What are we to do?"

"That's what the Protectobots are for", Ratchet explained; his hands on his hips as if he were scolding someone. But soon, he rubbed his chin in thought, "Although, it WOULD be great if we could get at least one more squad here to even the score…"

Bumblebee raised his hand, "Have you ever considered upgrading me and the minibots to combine?"

Sideswipe folded his arms, "Nah, that wouldn't work."

Bee gave the red twin a puzzled look, "Why not?"

The Lambo let out a chuckle, "Because together, you guys would just be the same size as the rest of us."

His giggles then gave way to a full blown laugh, his brother joining him. While the Beetle just shook his head, Brawn and Cliffjumper looked like they were ready to rip the Twins' faces off. Quickly, Ratchet stomped one of his feet, now more annoyed than ever, "Alright, that's enough! Now all of you shut your traps before I weld 'em shut!"

Knowing the medic would make do on that threat, the four, as well as everyone else, wisely clammed up. However, seeing a chance to speak, Perceptor stepped in, "Your point IS valid none the less, Ratchet. There are so many of us here, and yet it still seems like we've been stretched thin. And with Decepticon forces getting a firmer grip on Cybertron, we cannot afford to lose any more troops on the home planet." His face wore a look of worry as he muttered, "We just can't call anyone else."

Wheeljack gave a solemn nod, "Exactly. And that's why I've called you all here, because hopefully, this new invention a' mine'll solve that problem once and for all."

It was then that the Lancia turned on his heel and strode over to a table behind him. A moment later, he swiveled back and held his hand up; a VERY small object pinched between his fingers. The gathered Autobots all leaned forward to get a closer look, and Kayla nudged Jazz again. "What's he holding up?"

"Don't know", the saboteur squinted real hard, "Dang thing's too little to see."

After another moment of everyone peering as if they were taking an eye test, Sunstreaker finally spat, "The slaggin' thing's too small, 'Jack! What is it?"

The inventor must've realized his error in judgment, for his head fins glowed a soft pink in embarrassment as he chuckled, "Um…sorry." He then set the device under a magnifying lens and pushed a button, allowing a bigger image of the object to appear on a nearby screen, "That better?"

The picture that showed up revealed a device no bigger than a human's thumb, and shaped in the design of the Autobot symbol, much like their human friends' communicators. When the audience signaled that they could now see properly, Wheeljack began to explain, "Ever since that incident at the laboratory a month ago, I've been tinkerin' with this baby bit by bit. It's still in the testing phase, but I think I got a good bit of the bugs worked out. Now, as you all know, there's more than just Autobots that've been fightin' the 'Cons; we've made a lot of human allies too." His gaze landed on Spike as he added, "Of course, humans have come through for us plenty a' times, but they're also really frail, and can't exactly hold up in a fight against a Cybertronian ten times taller than them. But this should help."

For the first time since the presentation started, Optimus finally spoke, "Please Wheeljack, don't keep us in waiting. What does this device do?"

Taking in a deep breath of air through his vents, the Lancia finally dropped the axe, "If all goes according to plan…you're lookin' at a pendant that can turn humans into Autobots."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Originally, this and the next part were all one chapter, but it turned out longer than I thought, so I decided to split it up to make it easier to read.
> 
> So, by writing this next section, I finally figured out a rough time frame as to when Kayla met the 'Bots in the context of the show. "Guitar Hero" happened not long after 'The Immobilizer', since Carly was mentioned, and the start of "The Blind Girl Shall Lead Them" happened a week later. From then, that story covered her adventures over the next few months, which 'The Search for Alpha Trion' must've happened during that time, since Elita One and the femmes were mentioned at one point. So now, as you've just read, we pick up three years later, in which Season 2 has since ended, since we now got the Aerialbots and all the combiner teams. Just some food for thought. 
> 
> Kayla's now at a crossroads in her life, facing an uncertain future. And pretty soon, things are gonna' get complicated...


	3. Chapter 3

The inventor held that breath of air from before as he eyed his teammates' reaction; waiting for an answer. For a full minute, the laboratory was eerily quiet; the tension so thick, you could cut it with a knife. A few mouths hung open, others tried to find words, but couldn't. Instead, everyone's eyes and optics stared wildly in shock; glancing to each other, then back at the scientist, as if he just proclaimed he turned water into wine. Finally, it was Sideswipe, of all people, who first sputtered out, "Uh…y-you're joking…right?"

Wheeljack gave him a stare that could bore through stone, "Do I look like I'm jokin'?"

The Lamborgini would only admit to himself that either his friend had really gone off the deep end, or he was playing the best prank that surpassed even the Twins' standards. But when the Lancia neither flinched, nor batted an optic to what he just spoke, the red Lambo's hands fell limply at his sides as he muttered, "Dear Primus…"

Suddenly, the room went from being as quiet as a library, to getting caught in a huge explosion of excited questions and mumbles. Amid all of this was Ratchet, who shouted over the sea of voices, "Wait a nanoclick! Can you repeat that?! Did you just say you invented a device that turns HUMANS into AUTOBOTS?!"

The inventor's chest puffed out with pride, "Yep! I call it…uh…well, actually, I don't got a name for it yet. Any ideas?"

"Yeah; "insane". Like YOU!" the ambulance was all too quick to spit out. He pointed an accusing finger in his associate's face as he ranted, "Have you lost your CPU?! This is how you play Primus! Turning organics into Cybertronians?! It's…it's impossible!"

For once, the scientist stood his ground against the raving medic, and his head fins flashed a reddish tint, "It is NOT! And I can prove it!"

But Ratchet would have none of it. He whirled around to face his leader; trying everything in his power not to lose what was left of his temper, "Optimus! I seriously suggest you talk some sense into your insane engineer right now!"

Wheeljack started to bark something back about how he wasn't crazy, but it became difficult to hear the argument, for the entire room was now in an uproar. Every Autobot present seemed to have something to say about the matter, and mumbles soon escalated into shouts. But suddenly, a deep, powerful voice ripped through the riot like a clap of thunder. "EVERYONE, QUIET!"

Optimus Prime. The silence was deafening, and all heads turned to the 18-wheeler truck in a bit of shock. The Kenworth, for his part, just sighed and shook his head, as if he were commanding a kindergarten class. He then raised a hand as he scolded, "You're all acting like a bunch of sparklings. Before we go jumping to conclusions, let Wheeljack finish his presentation first."  He then turned to the scientist in question, "Now…what you've just told us is nothing short of amazing. But could you please explain how you intend for this device to work?"

The Lancia crossed his arms and sighed, "THANK you." Bringing his attention back to his fellow 'Bots, he continued, "As I was TRYIN' to say…our human allies can only do so much when it comes to helpin' us on the battlefield. So, usin' a subspace pocket and some borrowed tech from Hound's holograms, I made this." He waved a hand at the monitor, and the image of the device shrunk until it was inside the outline of a human body. The screen then flashed, and soon, the human outline was inside the outline of a Cybertronian. All during this rough demonstration, the scientist explained, "When activated, the device will access a subspace pocket, much like we use for storing our weapons, or Prime's trailer-that kind of stuff. A Cybertronian shell will then form around the human body, giving the wearer the look and capabilities of an Autobot."

On the screen, the robotic outline faded away, with only the human picture remaining as Wheeljack finished, "Then, when the person's finished, they just go back to bein' human again. Simple as that." His tone may have sounded hopeful, but not one person in the room looked convinced.

Least of all, Prowl, who merely shook his head, "…'simple', huh?"

'Jack merely chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I still got a little ways to go on it. But trust me, this baby's gonna' work-I just know it."

Meanwhile, Bumblebee glanced down to eye his human charges sitting next to him; trying to gauge their reaction to all this. Carly simply looked amazed, but it was Spike and Sparkplug he was more worried about, considering the…"incident" that happened with them a few years ago. The father's face was filled with nothing but concern. However, his son appeared to be absolutely horrified. So, it was no surprise when Spike's voice stuttered a bit as he timidly raised his hand and mumbled, "Um…and just…w-who's going to be…testing this thing when it's ready?"

All optics were now on the boy, and Wheeljack gave him an all knowing "well, who do you think" look. Within seconds, Spike was vemently shaking his head; eyes wide, "Oh no…not again…never again."

The scientist's optic widened-the equivalent of raising a brow, "Aww, come on, kid; that first time was different."

"Different how?" Ratchet asked as he stared at his comrade with optics that could melt steel, "Jack, how could you possibly forget what happened with Autobot X? Don't make him have to live through that nightmare again."

The inventor folded his arms, trying to keep his temper in check, "That's funny…considerin' it was YOU who built the thing."

The medic's face flushed, "Don't remind me."

Back with Jazz, Kayla leaned in and whispered, "…Autobot X…?"

"Long story", the saboteur muttered, "Tell ya' later…"

Suddenly, Sparkplug stood up; raising a hand, "Well, when you DO get this thing runnin' properly, I'LL be your guinea pig."

Spike stifled a gasp, "Dad…"

But his father gave him a wave of reassurance, "Son, the Autobot X disaster was my fault too, 'cause I agreed to the whole thing. And I don't want you and Carly gettin' hurt. Consider it a payback for the huge mistake I made."

Just then, Wheeljack let out a sigh; his face showing a bit of hurt, "Okay, so we made a mistake. But I learned from it, and now this'll be better." He threw his arms open, "I still don't get why you guys are so edgy. You're all actin' like this thing ain't gonna' work-why won't you guys give it a chance?"

It pained Optimus to see his friend having to defend himself so fiercely, especially to his own teammates. And he truly wanted to believe this idea could be successful, considering that 90 percent of the Lancia's inventions brought them victory over their enemies. But there was still that lingering worry that a pendant of such capabilities could go wrong on so many levels, both strategically and ethically…

Knowing what his spark told him was best, the leader finally stepped forward and gave voice to his concerns, "Because it's human lives you're purposely risking this time, and that's something I cannot tolerate."

'Jack's eyes widened, "But…"

The Kenworth raised his hand, signaling to give him the floor, "Our Earth allies battle alongside us because they chose to, not because we recruited them."

The inventor's optics fell to the floor, and he clenched his fists; agast that his commander would think he had a mindset as so. To put everyone's thoughts at ease, his voice took on a lilt of genuine care, "Well, it WOULD be their choice…I'm not forcin' them to do this."

Nearly everyone could hear the huge sigh of relief come from Spike, as well as his father and girlfriend. But Prime shook his head; he knew his scientist far too well. Inquisitive minds like Wheeljack would never be able to resist the allure of something like a device that turned humans into Autobots-it was too amazing to ignore. If their own friends wouldn't do it, 'Jack would find someone else…and the possible repercussions of that would be too great. Plus, there was another set of Cybertronians that wouldn't resist temptation either…

"Never the less, it's still too risky", Prime reasoned, "It wouldn't take long for the Decepticons to discover this technology. They could steal it; use it for their own ends."

Ratchet nodded in agreement, "Face it, it's not a good idea, and it's not a SAFE one either."

The inventor's shoulders couldn't help but sag; feeling like a huge weight was suddenly dropped on top of him. He was so sure his plan would work, he hadn't expected the large negative reaction. It was very rare that any one of his ideas was outright rejected, but when it did, it hurt-badly. His optics then shifted to his human friends, all of whom were staring up at him wide-eyed with fearful anticipation…they were actually AFRAID of one of his creations…maybe even afraid of HIM; of what he thought of doing to them. It was then that his frustration melted away to guilt. He swore to protect these Earth people, and they trusted him with their lives…the last thing he ever wanted was for them to be afraid of him.

With an extremely heavy sigh, Wheeljack looked his leader straight in the optics, "I'm not gonna' lie; I don't wanna' give up on this idea-not completely. If not for combat, then at the very least, our human pals can use 'em for extra protection." He then plucked the device from the table and held it up, "Right now, this thing's only in the testin' phase-it still ain't completely ready…but when it is, you KNOW that I would never, EVER force a person to change. It's entirely their decision."

Prime rubbed his chin, "We would give them a choice, but the Decepticons wouldn't."

Everyone solemnly nodded their heads in agreement. The Lancia looked to the floor, dejected, so the 18-wheeler put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "We all appreciate you showing us this…but this is one invention that will have to stay on the shelf for a long time."

Trying to stay hopeful, the scientist also gave a nod, "I understand…"

Optimus could hear the pain behind those two little words, but it was something 'Jack would just have to accept. The leader then turned to his fellow Autobots and waved a hand, "Dismissed."

With nothing more to see, the robotic soldiers all filed out of the room one by one; each mumbling to the other about everything that had just transpired. The last to leave were Spike, Sparkplug, and Carly-all of whom gave the Lancia one more worried glance, before making a hasty exit. The only two who remained were Jazz and Kayla, who was still perched on his shoulder. Knowing he had to give the 'Bot some kind of reassurance, the saboteur patted him on the back, "Sorry 'bout the presentation, man."

The inventor gave a limp shrug, "Eh, it ain't yer' fault. Everyone was right-it was dumb of me to think that a human would wanna' go through somethin' like that." He blinked, exposing his shame, "And did ya' see how Spike and the gang was lookin' at me? I must be goin' outta' my CPU."

Kayla laughed, "You always sound like you're goin' out of your mind."

But her chuckles died down when he didn't laugh along, to which she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. The Porsche jumped in again, "Don't give up on your ideas yet. Ya' never know when we might need 'em."

The red head nodded, folding her arms, "And I don't care what anyone says; I think this invention sounds really cool. I'd give anything to try it…too bad my eyes don't exactly work."

Wheeljack couldn't help but be moved by his comrades' words. Standing a little straighter, he muttered an earnest, "thank you."

"No problem, 'Jack", Jazz smiled. With that, the Lancia, the Porsche, and the musician left the science lab together; the scientist still holding onto and examining his new creation…

…completely unaware that in a far off, dusty, dark corner, a dark blue tape deck was recording the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Needless to say, Wheeljack's presentation didn't go as planned. And Kayla better be careful what she wishes for...
> 
> And yes, that was Soundwave in the end there. He's infiltrated Autobot Headquarters before, so now shouldn't be much different. How he got in, I leave to your imaginations, 'cause it's kind of irrelevant. He got in, and that's all that matters.
> 
> I also realize the story hasn't really focused on Kayla too much as of yet (and it's her story... ) , but there was alot of set up I had to do first. Now that we got it out of the way, the stage is all hers now.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom! I'm home!", Kayla called out as she stepped through the entranceway of her house. She spun on her heel to give Jazz one last wave as he drove off, before shutting the front door. Setting her cane aside and kicking her shoes off, she then made her way upstairs, "…hello?"

"In the kitchen, Kay", she heard her mother shout, followed by the sounds of dishes being pulled out. Following the noise, the red head trotted towards the commotion; picking up a rich, coffee scent straight away. Her mom was preparing dinner, no doubt.

The second her daughter came into her line of vision, Mrs. Matthews' face brightened, looking stressed, but none the less relieved that Kayla was back, "I'm so glad you're home. Could you help set the table? We're going to eat soon."

The girl shrugged, "Actually, I'm pretty full. I ate with Spike and the gang at the Ark."

The mother paused a moment; blinking a bit puzzled. But a second later, she carried on with preparing the meal, trying not to falter, "Oh…I see."

Her older counterpart was fooling no one; Kayla knew she was trying to hide the hurt in her voice, and the musician could only blush with mild awkwardness. Not wanting to upset her mom further, she quickly added in, "Uh, but I'm sure I'll be hungry later-I'll eat then."

Mrs. Matthews just sighed, before raising a brow, "Well, at the very least, you can sit with me. You spend so much time at the Ark, I hardly see you anymore."

The musician rested her head in her hand; a smirk on her lips, "I don't see you at all either."

"Very funny", her mom rolled her eyes; setting her plate down and taking a seat opposite her daughter, "Seriously though…maybe you ought to say home the next few days; take a break from 'saving the world' for a while. You'll burn yourself out."

Although Kayla nodded her head, the words fell on deaf ears. She heard THAT excuse a billion times before; just another vain attempt to pry her away from the Autobots. What was the big deal? She just wanted to hang out with her friends is all. Trying to suppress a groan, the red head fumbled around for the nearby remote, and proceeded to turn on the TV. The news appeared onscreen, and mother and daughter began to listen.

"Our top story tonight, the Autobots and Decepticons were at it again in this scene from just a few nights ago", the reporter announced. As told, the broadcast switched to footage of a power plant, with the 'Bots and 'Cons going at it. The announcer continued, "The Decepticons attacked 'TFBW Corp.' in the hopes of acquiring a supply of energon, but thanks to the Autobots and their heroism, the enemy retreated, and no one was seriously injured. With help from our heroes, the plant has since been rebuilt."

"Oh yeah, THAT", Kayla suddenly chimed in; her face taking on a look of remembrance, "That mission was a doosy."

The mother took a hard gulp of her coffee; starring at her with worry, "…in what way?"

The red head rubbed her eyes as she sighed; wondering how she was to go about explaining. It's hard to describe battle coordination if one's never operated a super computer. Leaning forward, she began, "Well, you know Teletraan-One, right?"

Her elder scratched her head, "Um…the satellite you shoot in the air…?"

"No, that's the Sky Spy", the musician shook her head, "I mean their battle computer."

Mrs. Matthews blushed at her mix up. She always listened to her daughter's stories, but she couldn't help that all these Cybertronians and their technology started to sound the same after a while. Shrugging, she just muttered a quick, "Oh…"

Not caring about the confusion, Kayla just continued onward, "Anyway, Teletraan-One's able to detect energy signatures, and we were using that to help coordinate the battle. But whatever that stuff was at the power plant, it was messing with the radar. Chip and I had a heck of a time trying to tell who was who, and who from what."

For the red haired mom, the name rang a bell, "Chip…he and his father live with the Autobots, right?"

Kayla suppressed a groan, "No, that's Spike and Sparkplug. Chip Chase is the one in the wheelchair, remember?"

Her mom's eyes fell, embarrassed at another slip up, "Oh yeah…" It was then that a thought came to her, and she slowly looked up at her daughter again, "Have his parents ever…said anything?"

Her younger counterpart raised a brow, wondering where this was going. She shrugged, "Beats me; I never met them before." She rubbed her chin in thought, "…come to think of it, he's never really talked about his folks that much. Same with Carly. Guess with all the action happening, they never had a need to mention them."

Well THAT certainly wasn't the answer Mrs. Matthews was expecting. These were young adults with families they were a part of, and they didn't even talk about them? Not once? Her eyes then stole a glance back at the TV, where the footage of the battle was being replayed again. Getting a tight feeling in her stomach, she turned the TV off with a fast click-suddenly not wanting to watch anymore. It was fortunate that she had finished her meal, for there was something nagging at the back of her mind that she could put off no longer. Sitting up straighter, she began, "Kayla…I need to talk to you about something."

The daughter's eyes widened; she knew EXACTLY what that serious tone of voice meant, and it was never anything good. And somehow, she had a sinking feeling what the subject was going to be. She had tried ignoring it for the past few months; wondering just how long she could avoid this discussion. But with nothing else to occupy her, and no place to escape, she had to accept the inevitable. The red head let a heavy sigh escape her; leaning back in her seat as she braced herself-her eyes staring at everything and nothing, "…okay…let's talk."

Her mother clasped her hands together; eyes burrowing through the kitchen table, as she tried to find the right words. She was NOT going to let this escalate into another argument. Finally, she began, "I've been thinking lately…about all this."

Kayla tilted her head, "About all of what?"

Mrs. Matthews folded her arms, "You know exactly what." Keeping her voice stern, she continued, "It's been three years now. THREE years we've been going through this same routine. And every one of those days; every time you walk out that door, I get more and more worried about you. About this whole situation."

The musician tried to keep things light with a chuckle, "You worry too much."

Her mom didn't share the laugh, "Yeah, well sometimes worry is what keeps a person alive."

"And risks is what makes life worth living", Kayla countered, matter of factly, as she rested her hands behind her head; a clear sign she wasn't about to step out of the ring in this fight.

Mrs. Matthews heaved out the breath she was holding; shaking her head, "Oh, don't be so stubborn." She then rose from her chair and began to pace around the table-frustration mounting, "You're not the only one who's noticed a change happening. Those Decepticons are starting to get more relentless. And more people are getting hurt because of it."

The younger red head couldn't help but agree there. In the beginning, reports of 'Con attacks were an event to be heard; happening maybe once…at the most twice every two or three months. But gradually, the episodes grew to be once a month…then once a week…and now, almost every day, there was a mention of a 'Con sighting somewhere. Not all the sightings escalated into full battles, thankfully…but it was still becoming a common enough occurrence for many to be on edge. Her mom was no different.

Of course, it's another thing entirely when one of your own family members is personally aiding the soldiers who are fighting Earth's enemies on a daily basis.

"You DO realize YOU'RE the one who agreed to all this, right?" Kayla raised a brow. But she made it a point to sound like she was making a simple observation in that statement; not be a smart mouth.

The mother rested her face in a guilty hand, "Yes…in the beginning, I…I guess I was just as excited as you were. I'm ashamed to admit it, but when something as amazing as meeting an Autobot happens, you don't think much of the consequences." Her thoughts drifted back to that unforgettable day, when she opened her front door to find Jazz standing in her lawn. But her tiny smirk faded as she was brought back to the present, "Now I'm not so sure."

When the musician next spoke, her voice was only a whisper; her face trying to hold back dread, "What are you saying?"

There was a long pause as Mrs. Matthews gauged the impact of what she was about to say. She knew she couldn't sugar coat it, and she knew her daughter wouldn't like it one bit, but it was now or never. Taking in a sharp breath, she muttered, "…I don't think we should see the Autobots anymore."

So that was it. The axe was finally dropped. And yet, somehow, Kayla knew this was coming…which is why she took a page from Prowl's strategy book. Always have a defense ready.

She crossed her arms in a huff, "That's it? We just one day not show up? Take the privilege they gave us and just turn our back to it?"

Her mom sighed, trying to stay calm, "Please don't make me the bad guy here. In a lot of respects, I don't like the idea anymore than you do; I know how close you've gotten to the 'Bots-to Jazz…" She bit her lip, but remained firm, knowing she had to be so her case didn't fly like a lead balloon, "…but it's gotten to a point where we have to ask ourselves if we're in over our heads. I'm only trying to do what's best for us. We should get out while we can, before it's too late."

"But Spike and Sparkplug actually LIVE with the Autobots, and they're having a great time", the young red head pointed out, "They don't seem to have any problems."

Mrs. Matthews furrowed her eyebrows, "Well, that's great if it worked out for them, but we're not talking about their family, I'm talking about OURS. We're in a different situation."

Kayla knew exactly what she meant by "situation", "'Cause of me, right? This all comes back to the blind thing with you, don't it?" She rubbed her eyes in annoyance; her voice thick with a deeply rooted frustration, "Ever since I lost my sight, you've always babied me over everything-thinking I can't take care of myself. If dad were here…"

She suddenly caught herself, realizing what she was starting to say. Her words trailed off, and there was a long silence as both of them had to gather themselves for a moment. But finally, Kayla took a deep breath and continued on; her voice a bit softer, "If dad were here, we probably wouldn't be having this argument."

The mother couldn't help but think her daughter was right. Peter wasn't just Kayla's father, he was her best friend; always patient and supportive in helping train her senses and teach her how to fend for herself. To him, blindness was just a stubborn obstacle, like the ones he had to run through over and over in the army. When she started to voice her opinion about moving out, he wouldn't have had any problems or concerns.

…but having to face reality, the mom let out a breath she was holding; a small tear stinging her eye as she blurted out, "…well he's NOT here…not anymore…"

The extended quiet lasted a good minute; both of them losing the energy they had before the more they thought about the man they lost. He wouldn't want them fighting like this. If Kayla wasn't so sad, she would've laughed-even though her dad was gone, he still managed to break up an argument. Speaking of which, the musician realized they had left the conversation hanging on a tense thread. Taking a deep breath, she tried to get back to the matter at hand, "They never let me on the battlefield, obviously. I'm always at the Ark-doing computer work and stuff like that. Last time I checked, it wasn't lethal."

Mrs. Matthews shook her head; feeling as though they were back to square one, "Maybe not…but that doesn't make just BEING there any less dangerous." Her daughter opened her mouth to speak, but the mom quickly interrupted, "And no, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the Autobots."

"What 's so dangerous about them?" the girl threw her arms open, "They're good people, mom. If you just got to know them more, you'd understand how I feel…but the only two you ever spoke to were Jazz and Optimus." Her head drooped a bit-her hair falling over her face as she added, "…you never once visited the Ark…to meet everyone else."

The mother flinched at how hurt her daughter looked. But it WAS true-she never made any conscious effort to get in contact with the rest of the Autobots. All her information on them came from either Kayla or Jazz, and even then, it was limited. Finally, she understood why her argument was always shot down-how could she complain about a group she barely even knew?

She was broken from her thoughts when Kayla put a hand on her shoulder; her eyes clearly saying that she was about to end the argument…for now, anyway, "Look…you already know what my answer is…but that doesn't mean I'm not listening. I've thought the exact same thing time and again. Can we please at least talk to the 'Bots about this? See what they think? If anything, Jazz shouldn't be left in the dark."

Mrs. Matthews gave her daughter a long stare; knowing this fight was far from over. But it was getting late, and it's hard to argue when one's tired. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she nodded, "Okay…the first chance we get, we'll talk to them. At the very least, they should know how we feel." She then corrected herself, "No, how I feel."

Kayla suppressed the urge to roll her eyes; instead patting her mom on the back in a vain attempt to calm her. She chuckled, "Come on, mom. As long as I stay at the Ark, I'm perfectly safe with them. What could happen?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I know that was a bit long, but considering this argument is important, I felt that breaking it into two chapters would disrupt the flow.
> 
> This whole chapter pretty much spawned from an observation I made while watching the series in general. Other than Sparkplug, none of the parents of the other kids are shown, and it remains a mystery as to why they'd let their children hang out with these giant robots. Heck, Chip Chase was actually attacked in his own house for pete's sake! And not once did anyone question their safety. Yes, that's an 80s cartoon for ya', but you think that SOMEONE would say SOMETHING at some point? So, I thought now would be the best time to address it...especially considering what's about to happen...


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm perfectly safe at the Ark; what could happen", Kayla mumbled; her tone heavy with sarcasm, "I just HAD to open my freakin' mouth."

Her rant was cut off by another huge explosion; one that sent a rippling shockwave through the floor of the Ark and made the girl go flying into the air. A shocked gasp escaped her, but before she knew it, her body met the floor again, and to say it hurt was an understatement. But there was no time to worry about injuries. With the help of her cane, she pushed herself back on her feet; shaking off the pain of the fall, before feeling her way over to the first wall she came in contact with. Using that as a guide, she quickly made her way down a hallway; still trying to make sense of what was happening.

It started off like any other typical day. The red head unloaded her things at Jazz's quarters, before heading over to help Chip with maintenance on Teletraan-One. It was about an hour into the morning, when the super computer flashed an urgent message of incoming Decepticons. Before anyone could even respond, the front doors to the Ark were literally kicked open, and everything was thrown into utter chaos.

She knew Megatron and his bunch were crazy…but what could possibly be at the Ark that they would be random and insane enough to attack Autobot Headquarters directly?

Her question would remain unanswered for the time being. The real mystery was figuring out where in God's name she even WAS. When the first alarm sounded, Prowl had wasted no time in plucking up both her and Chip; shoving them into a secluded corner and telling them to wait in hiding. But it was only a few minutes later that the computer wiz urged that they had to move. She clung to his wheelchair like a lifeline as they raced down a corridor, but an explosion caused enough of a ripple for her to lose her grip, and the two were separated.

Kayla had gotten sidetracked plenty of times in her life, but it was easy enough to get back on the right path again.

…but she could count on her fingers the number of times she'd ever gotten truly LOST…and to get lost in a place she was usually so familiar with…it scared her.

She was broken from her momentary shock when the loudspeaker crackled to life; Prowl's commanding voice echoing against the metal walls, "Devastator's just been spotted on the horizon! Get Defensor and the Dinobots to the main entrance, NOW!"

A bead of sweat rolled down the girls' forehead…this was bad…VERY bad…

Suddenly, something grabbed her by the shoulder. The red head's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she spun on her heel; cane held high like a baseball bat-ready to strike.

But the voice that called out to her instantly made her freeze, "Kayla, it's me!"

The musician lowered her makeshift weapon; sighing in relief, "…Carly."

"Sorry I scared you", the blonde sounded concerned.

A quick adjustment of the sunglasses waved off any apology, "S'okay. Are you alright?"

Just then, another voice cut in, "We're both okay, all things considered."

"Spike", Kayla acknowledged his presence with a nod, "Any word on if we're actually WINNING or not?"

Another small quake made the trio stumble a bit, but the boy rattled off all the information he knew as if nothing happened, "Most of the Decepticons are roaming somewhere around the Ark. Optimus is managing to hold off Megatron near the main entrance, but even so, it's still too dangerous here. We have to find a safe place to hide."

By "we", the musician knew he meant his fellow humans. Speaking of which, she asked, "What about Chip? Where is he?"

The boyfriend/girlfriend duo glanced at each other, before looking back at the red head in worry. Carly piped up, "We thought he was with you."

Kayla's disheartened stare grew worse, "He was…but we got separated."

The blonde stifled a gasp, knowing now wasn't the time to panic. Instead, she patted her blind counterpart on the shoulder, "It's okay…we know he'll be alright. He knows how to take care of himself."

There was a tense silence as the red head bit her lip; Carly's last few words ringing in her mind. The computer wiz was probably off somewhere being useful, while she could barely find her way down a stupid corridor. Her hand almost balled into a fist…if Spike hadn't grabbed it first.

"Come on, we gotta' get outta' here", he urged.

And before they knew it, the trio was running down the hall at full speed, with Kayla hanging onto Spike; trying to keep pace. Counting her steps was out, considering that one-she didn't know her starting point, and two-the group would stop, change direction, stop, turn around, change direction, stop, then sprint off again. After about ten minutes of this constant pattern, Kayla just finally gave up and let herself be dragged around. All the while, sounds of an intense battle echoed through the halls; making some clashes appear closer than they were-the static smell of energon wafting through the air. But even through all that, there was one thing that made her even more scared; one question that kept her on edge, since it remained unanswered.

Where was Jazz?

"LOOK OUT!"

Kayla had no time to register which of the two yelled out, for she collided with Spike and Carly's backsides as they came to a sudden stop. But before she could ask them what the hold up was, a new voice provided the answer-one she hadn't heard in person for over three years, but would never forget.

"Well, lookie what we got here. Three new fleshies ta' play with."

The Brooklyn-lilt to his tone was a dead giveaway, and despite the situation, the red head couldn't help but half-smile, "Long time no see, Rumble."

From behind her, the cassette's black and red counterpart scoffed, "VERY funny. You gave us the slip before, but that won't happen again."

"Frenzy", Kayla noted. And apparently, even after the long passage of time, the two lackeys hadn't forgotten how she completely humiliated them in their vain attempt to capture her on that fateful day. This was all the more exemplified by the acidic stares the two 'Cons gave the humans as they surrounded them-closing the gap between.

By now, the three teenagers stood back to back; trying to gauge the actions of their attackers as they edged closer and closer-ready to strike. The musician knew full well that if Rumble and Frenzy were here, then Soundwave and the rest of his cassettes couldn't be far behind. Being so close to her friends, she merely had to turn her head slightly and mumble, "Duck and cover on the signal?"

"Gotcha'," the duo whispered back.

Said guitarist then turned her attention back to the two stooges in question, "Ya' know, not only did you guys not catch me, but your 'daddy' had to clean up your mess and do the job himself. Bet he wasn't too happy with you."

Rumble let out a growl, "Shut the frag up! You're just messin' with us again."

Realizing what the red head was trying to do, Carly played along, "Why wouldn't we? We're taking orders from cassette players for pete's sake." She raised a brow and smirked as she added, "It's the new millennium; no one works with cassette anymore. You two need a serious upgrade."

Frenzy had heard enough. Gearing up to jump, he spit out, "Upgrade THIS!"

"NOW!" Spike yelled.

Just then, the two mini Decepticons lunged forward in a blind fury. A millisecond later, the human trio dropped to the floor on Spike's signal; causing the two cassettes to collide with one another and crumple to the floor in a dazed heap. After ensuring they were both out cold, the teenagers then rose back to their feet again with relief. Kayla stifled a laugh; amazed the plan actually worked.

"Pfft. Idiots", she mumbled.

The celebration was short lived, however, for suddenly, a loud screech was heard from above. Her grin dropping, the musician turned at the noise; trying to determine what it was, "You guys hear that?"

It was then that Spike and Carly glanced upward, only to see another familiar cassette beginning to dive bomb them. Gasping, the boy cried out, "It's Laserbeak! Run for it!"

The mechanical bird decided that was his cue to begin firing. As the humans broke off into a sprint, the metal hawk took a few half-hearted shots at his prey. With the three disoriented, he saw his chance and swooped down at the group. Talons outstretched, and in one quick motion, Laserbeak grabbed Spike by the shoulders and lifted him into the air.

Naturally, the boy immediately began kicking and screaming; trying anything to shake loose from the 'Con's iron grip, "Hey! Lemme' go you rat with wings!"

Unfortunately, no amount of cursing would deter the bird, so Carly decided to take matters into her own hands-literally. With an extra push of adrenaline fueling her, she just managed to race fast enough to keep neck and neck with her enemy-an amazing feat considering she still had to hold onto Kayla to guide her. Speaking of whom, the girl was now almost out of breath, wondering just what her blonde friend had in mind for rescuing the boyfriend. With no way to shoot down the bird, there was just one option left…and one she wasn't too crazy about. Between panting, she managed out, "Don't tell me we're gonna' do what I think your thinkin'."

Carly's eyes never wavered from Spike, but she still answered back with determination, "Get ready to jump on the count of three!"

The musician held back a groan, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. Never the less, she retracted her cane and slipped it on her belt loop; gearing herself up. Her friend then began the count, edging closer and closer to her goal, "One…two…"

Just then, Laserbeak began to ascend, and the blonde screamed out, "THREE!"

Right on cue, Carly leaped into the air with all her might and managed to grab hold of Spike's waist. At the same time, Kayla sprung up as well; latching onto Carly's ankles. The two girls then hung on like their lives depended on it; hoping the extra weight would force the Decepticon to drop them.

However, they never expected the bird to be strong enough to send them all airborne.

In one fluid motion, Laserbeak shot upwards like a rocket; taking the human chain with him. Needless to say, Kayla found it unsettling to be off the ground; the one place where she was truly blind to everything. Never the less, she held onto Carly's feet with all she had, as the trio found themselves locked in a deadly game of crack the whip.

But the blonde refused to relinquish her grip on her boyfriend, "Hang on, Spike! We've got ya'!"

The boy's eyes widened as the bird picked up speed, "You may got me, but he's still got us!"

Just then, the group was heading for an intersection. Without warning, Laserbeak swooped around and made an extremely hard right turn. The sudden motion caused the three teens to be swung around in the hopes of being shaken off.

The bird only succeeded partially, for although Carly managed to hang on, Kayla hadn't anticipated the rough action and lost her grip. The red head fell to the floor with a scream; rolling around a few times before finally coming to a stop. And in that moment, all she could do was lie there-listening to Spike and Carly's yells fade into the distance as she found herself on her own again.

But the shock was only momentary, for another explosion, and the aftershock of it jarred her back to reality that she was still in the middle of a warzone. Slowly, but surely, she pushed herself to her feet; trying everything to shake off the pain of her fall. She then hobbled over to the nearest wall and began her touch and go method again; feeling around for the first door she could find.

"I have to get out of this hallway", she thought, "It sounds like most of the fighting's happening in the corridors. I might be safer in a room." Her face then turned to a look of worry, "I hope to God Spike and Carly are alright. And Chip too."

She was pulled from her thoughts when her hand felt a decompression in the metal. Pounding a fist on the wall, the echoing sound told her exactly what she wanted to hear. The new surface was a door. Sliding down even more, she found the vertical crack and slid her fingers inside. She knew very well she wasn't strong enough to pry open an Autobot-sized door, but she still hoped the action would be enough for the sensors to kick in and open automatically. Thankfully, her prayers were answered, and the second the panels slid aside, she bolted forward-not caring where she was at, just as long as she was away from the current danger zone.

She had no idea she had just run into Wheeljack's laboratory.

The girl continued running as fast as she could; completely forgetting about her guiding cane. She only remembered when a piece of machinery in her path caught her foot; making her go tumbling. Her barrel roll finally ended when she ran into the scientist's desk-causing it to shake just a tiny bit.

But the small shockwave was still just enough to make the Lanica's latest invention fall out of place and dangle close to the edge of the desk.

Kayla could've kicked herself for being so ignorant. How could she let herself trip like that? She KNEW better than to just run around like a nut without at least getting her cane out first. "Friggin' IDIOT!" she screamed in her head, "What am I? SIX?"

Her internal rant was cut off when she attempted to get up, only for her legs to give out on her and make her drop to the floor again. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead; trying desperately to catch her breath. With all her strength nearly gone, she finally collapsed by the desk-the pain of her accumulated injuries catching up with her. The musician let out a groan as she dwelled on the situation.

None of this made any sense. How in the world did those Decepticons get into the Ark? And why were they even HERE? There were only a handful of times they had ever attacked the headquarters directly, from what she heard from her Autobot friends. But never on a grand scale like this. What could be so important, that Megatron would risk all his troops to enter the lion's den; outgunned and outnumbered?

Unfortunately, she was about to get her answer, when the sound of a panther growl reached her ears. Knowing what it meant, her eyes widened.

Ravage.

"Oh frag…" she spit out.

The black cassette inched ever so closer; red optics locked on target-legs in a crouch, ready to strike. The only thing stopping the cat from pouncing was his master, who stood in the doorway, looking around in silence. He gave his minion a nod of approval, "Keep the human subdued, Ravage."

Kayla's eyes widened at the electronic, monotone voice. Soundwave.

The panther flinched a bit; hissing and giving the girl a suspicious glare as she slowly rose to her feet. The red head, for her part, was tired of feeling useless-expression baring a look of pent up anger. If this is where it would all end, she wasn't going down without a fight. Reaching around, she pulled her cane off her belt loop and extended it; holding it like a makeshift samurai sword. Would it do any damage? …well, obviously not. But at least she would prove she wasn't a coward. Head turned upwards, she yelled out, "You guys really got a lot of nerve! You attacked us in our own home, and you tore apart the entire Ark! What the heck do you guys want?! What's so important that you'd come all the way here to get it?!"  When she didn't get a reply, her face flushed, "Answer me!"

All during the girl's rant, the tape deck surveyed the lab-trying to ignore the pesky human's increasing annoyance. It was only when she screamed for an answer that he finally glanced downward; red visor locking with black sunglasses and pale blue eyes contorted in rage. After a pause, he simply replied, "You speak too much, human". He then regarded her cane, "And your…battle tactics are useless. Nothing will stop us from acquiring the chip."

Kayla raised a brow in confusion. "The chip"…? Was he talking about Chip Chase? Her thoughts were broken when he continued, "You will tell me where the chip is, or I will use…other methods of persuasion."

At that moment, the color drained from the musician's face…she did NOT want to find out what he meant by "other methods"…no doubt something really painful. For once, she answered honestly, "…I've got no clue what you're talking about."

Believing her to be lying, Soundwave pointed at her and gave a command, "Ravage; seize her!"

The red head backed up a few steps; gasping a bit, but trying to stay quiet so she could hear where her opponent was. She knew she had all of about three seconds to decide her next move, and knowing which direction the cat would attack was essential. A split second later, the panther crouched, before springing up and letting out a roar.

His claws were a mere foot away from tearing into flesh, when the girl finally decided to let instinct guide her. In one quick motion, she hit the floor and dove out of the way, causing Ravage to crash right into the desk-flopping to the floor in a dazed heap.

The vibration caused by his failed pounce resulted in an Autobot crest, no bigger than your standard computer chip, to fall off the desk and land on the floor a few feet away from the adrenaline-fueled human.

Soundwave was about to assist his cassette, until he heard the distinct "tink, tink, tink" of a piece of metal hitting metal. Zooming in on his victim, he then spotted the prize his fellow Decepticons had risked everything for.  His optics widened behind his visor, "The chip!"

Kayla, meanwhile, winced as she nursed a hurt knee. An eyebrow went up, "The what?"

Slowly, but steadily, the tape deck stomped forward, "Stand aside, pitiful human."

His encroaching footsteps sent tremors across the floor and up the girl's spine-her face now a look of pure dread. But upon attempting to rise to her feet, she ended up crashing to the floor again, due to her hurt knee. But she wouldn't let an injury stop her-instead doing a wobbly crab crawl backwards.

Her hands unknowingly edged closer to the chip.

The musician's eyes narrowed, "Well, I can't exactly do that now, thanks to you."

The Decepticon had enough. Unsubspacing his laser rifle, he pointed it at the red head, "Then prepare to be eradicated."

The laser gun emitted a loud hum as it began to charge up, and the red head gasped at the noise. Out of instinct, she backed up a little further-her hand now resting on top of the chip. But she knew it was hopeless. The Autobots had no clue where she was; she didn't have her communicator; her injury prevented her from running away, and the tape deck had her cornered. A tear ran down her cheek as she realized she was a dead girl no matter what.

They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die…and it's true, even for a blind girl.

Quickly, she bid her mom and her family goodbye, before swiveling around to put her head down. Without even realizing it, her hand clasped around the chip as she prayed for a miracle. She hoped someone would hear her as she cried out at the top of her lungs…

"HELP ME!!!"

But just as Soundwave was about to get the shot off, he froze in place at the amazing sight before him. A crackle of bright red energy suddenly shot out through the girl's slotted fingers-increasing in size, before it covered the human in a ball of crimson. His energy signature readings jumped off the scale, before he had to cover his optics due to the intensity of the phenomena. Within seconds, there came a loud shrill, and the entire room was bathed in red light.

For Kayla, she as well had no clue what was happening; only that her hand was burning like fire. But the pain faded as quickly as it came, and before she knew it, she felt as if her body had completely lifted off the ground. She tried to make a move, but mysteriously, her body wouldn't let her, and she was forced to endure what suddenly happened next.

First came the sensation of her skin getting a tingly feeling, before turning ice cold. Next, her head felt heavy, as if someone placed a large helmet on her-her hair being tugged on as it was wrapped into a pony tail. Then came a shortness of breath, as if a very large weight was being dropped on her chest-the pain extending to her back as she had the distinct feeling of something protruding outward. The girl winced, not liking the sensation of something clamping around her arms, legs, and feet. Finally, she got the notion that something had slid over her eyes, but it didn't feel like her sunglasses; she couldn't place what, though. But it all came to an end as movement was returned to her body, and she felt the floor beneath her feet again.

When the red light finally cleared, Soundwave could open his optics again…only he couldn't believe what was standing in front of him. The human had disappeared, and in her place stood a femme that was a head size shorter than him. She had a light blue helmet with an orange crown, and an extra orange protrusion coming out of her head, much like a human pony tail. But her main color scheme was that of aqua blue-on her chest, boots, and door wings; topped off with orange stripes. With shoulder tires and hands that looked like she had black gloves on, her light blue optics wore a look of fear-even behind a blue visor much like Jazz's. To all of this, Soundwave could only stare in utter amazement.

Kayla had become an Autobot.

For a full minute, no one dared to make a move-still too stunned over the unbelievable situation. But finally, it was the girl who broke the silence, giving a tiny mumble of, "…what happened?"

She gasped at hearing her voice. It was still her own, and yet…not. Like as if she were speaking through a machine; giving her tone an extra metallic twinge to it.

The panic only increased when a hand shot to her mouth, and instead of feeling warm, soft skin, there came a cold sensation of cool, hard metal. Immediately, she began feeling all around-realizing a second later that she wasn't herself anymore. Even her own breathing sounded off-like it was coming through a vent and not lungs.

It was then the girl harkened back to the day of Wheeljack's presentation…that, combined with Soundwave's odd demands…and it suddenly all made sense.

Her epiphany brought forth a hard sob, "…what the heck is happening to me?"

A second later, a hand snatched her by the throat, and she was slammed into the nearest wall. Wincing, it took the red head a moment to realize that not only was Soundwave still in the room, but it was HE who had her forcibly pinned…which also confirmed that this wasn't a dream, considering being stuck between just two of his fingers would mean instant death.

Now seething, the tape deck kept a hold on the newly-born femme as he raised his laser rife, "You have displayed the abilities of the chip. Now you will relinquish it to me."

The strain of his fingers started to take its toll, and Kayla gritted her teeth…did she even HAVE teeth now? Struggling against the iron grip, she grunted, "Does it look like I know how to work this thing?!"

Soundwave's visor began to glow a hateful red, "Then I will take it from you by force." His free hand then began to reach for her chest section. To him, it was as good a place as any to start. Her strength almost gone, Kayla let out another cry for help.

Thankfully, this time, her prayer was answered when the door practically burst open, and a furious voice yelled out, "SOUNDWAVE!!"

If the girl wasn't being choked, she would've sighed in relief. It was Jazz.

The tape deck's head swiveled around to see the saboteur pointing a laser gun directly at him, "Put down the femme and no one gets hurt."

At the same time he gave the order, a red and gray boom box flew off his back; transforming mid-air, until he landed next to his musical counterpart. To say that Blaster's usual cheery tone was absent was an understatement, "Yeah, most of yer' buddies have been chased outta' here, and Rewind and Eject nearly took Laserbeak and your gang to the scrap yard…'specially after findin' out what they did to Spike and his friends."

Soundwave's optics narrowed-not liking the odds. He may have been outnumbered, but he sure has heck wasn't about to back down. Not when he was so close to getting the object his leader was so desperate for. He tightened his grip, "You will not keep me from my glory."

The Porsche practically rolled his optics, "Aww, come ON. Don't make us do this da' hard way."

With one hand still on the girl-turned-femme's throat, Soundwave used his other hand to point his laser gun right in Jazz's face. Hard way it was then. Likewise, the saboteur readied his rifle-humming with power.

But just as two deadly shots were about to be fired, the tape deck's lackey, Rumble, came smashing through the opposite wall, with Frenzy backing him up. His face flush with anxiety, he yelled out, "Soundwave, come on! Boss says we gotta' leave, now!"

No sooner did the words escape the cassette's vocal processor, Soundwave's inner comm. crackled to life, and Megatron's voice belted forth, "We can no longer keep up this distraction. Where is the chip?"

The tape deck knew he'd be punished for sure; evidenced by the regret in his usual monotone voice, "I have failed you, Lord Megatron. The chip has found a host."

"What?!" the Decepticon leader bellowed out.

Quickly, the communications chief broadcast a few clear images to his leader of what had transpired. A few seconds later, Megatron finally responded-still sounding angry, but also a bit hopeful, "It would appear we will have to drastically alter our original plans. However, the data you've collected will suffice for now. And considering which human it is, the chip will be useless to her. We'll find another way. Return to base at once!"

"As you command, Megatron", the tape deck replied in kind. With that, he finally released his prisoner, before giving a nod to Rumble. Seeing his cue, the cassette's fists transformed into  giant hammers, of which he used to slam the floor multiple times. The massive earthquake that followed threw Jazz and Blaster off balance, giving Soundwave enough time to dash through the hole his lackey had made. With his master safely on the other side, Rumble's hammers also came in handy in sealing off their escape route, so that no Autobots could follow.

The second the shaking stopped, the two musical 'Bots got back on their feet. Immediately, Blaster contacted his leader over the comm., "What's the 'sitch, Optimus?"

"The last of the Decepticons are being chased out", Prime explained, "All that remains is securing the base, and making sure that no other 'Cons are still hiding."

"Gotcha', boss bot", the boom box nodded, "Jazz and I are in the west wing. We'll start there and meet up with ya' guys later."

Meanwhile, the Porsche made his way over to the femme who was still sitting on the floor, now dazed and confused as to what exactly happened. Kneeling down next to her, he checked for injuries while giving her a smile…even though he was clearly puzzled by her, "That's funny. Don't remember addin' any femmes to da' ranks. Which is weird, 'cause I'd definitely know 'bout it."

The aqua/orange 'bot turned in his general direction; a bit hurt that her best friend didn't recognize her, "Jazz…it's me!"

The saboteur's jaw dropped at hearing the familiar voice. But it just couldn't be possible…it just couldn't! He then stared beyond her visor, finding a pair of frightened optics…which lead to gazing at the face, the helm…the orange "hair"…and his mouth opened wider. "

…Kayla…?"

Slowly, the femme nodded.

Without moving an inch, Jazz activated his comm., "Optimus…we gotta' problem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Not much to say on this part, other than, "Oh crap..."


	6. Chapter 6

To say everyone was shocked would be the biggest understatement of the year.

Even more amazingly, it wasn't stemming from the fact that the Ark had been invaded by Decepticons…rather, from the newest femme standing amongst a group of wide-opticed Autobots.

Wheeljack bounced on his heels like a kid on a sugar rush; his head fins shining their brightest, "It worked! It actually WORKED!"

Jazz stiffened a groan and grabbed the Lancia by the shoulders; forcing him to hold still, "Cool yer' jets, man. Yer' scarin' the lil' lady."

From amongst the onlookers, Bumblebee spoke up, "Kinda' hard to say that, considering she's not so little anymore."

The Porsche fell silent, giving the now-robotized Kayla a pained glance. For her part, the girl/femme stayed frozen in place, feeling the glares of everyone around her…the first time in her life she was ever intimidated by a stare.

Of course, it's not too often you get transformed into an Autobot either.

To her, hours seemed like years as she had waited for her friends to be finished surveying the damage from the battle, as well as checking for any remaining Decepticons. Regrettably, even Jazz had to leave her for a bit, since being third in command meant certain duties that had to be addressed first. So Blaster stayed by the girl's side, trying to console her the best way he could. But she appeared too shell shocked to say or do anything; opting to just lean against Wheeljack's desk and try to get her footing. By then, news had quickly spread about the incident, and the second someone could take a break, they scrambled to the lab to bear witness.

Presently, at least a third of the troops now crowded the laboratory; gawking at the musician like some kind of circus act. Through the excited tones and mumbles, her sharp ears…er, audios, picked out yells of, "you okay?", "look at that!", "what do we call her now?", "did it hurt?", "what's it feel like?", "can she change back?"…

"QUIET!"

Optimus.

Just one word made everyone go silent, and all optics turned to face their leader standing in the entranceway. He strode forward, and all gathered stepped aside, as if he was parting the red sea. He made a beeline for the femme in question and proceeded to look her up and down. The average person might've thought the red head a Cybertronian, but while the basic features were there, there were also plenty of attributes absent…tiny nuances that only a 'Bot or 'Con could pick out. For one, her stance was all wrong. Clearly, she wasn't used to supporting extra weight in armor-no wonder she was standing so still. She also had "door wings" and "shoulder tires", but there were several key transformation components missing. So, no doubt, she wasn't turning into a car anytime soon; the extra "stuff" mostly for show. But most of all, her face was just…different. He couldn't put his digit on it, but there was just something about her face-her structure, that made her stand out from a typical femme.

Realizing he hadn't spoken, the Kenworth asked in his most soothing tone, "Are you alright?"

Kayla's eyes-now-optics widened; not knowing what to say. She wasn't injured, but she wasn't exactly herself anymore either. Finally, she answered with a silent, limp shrug.

That was all the more Prime needed to know just how scared she was, and a room full of gawking mechs wasn't helping matters. He turned on his heel and firmly addressed his troops, "Wheeljack, Ratchet, Jazz; I need you to stay here. Everyone else, back to your posts." When no one moved right away, he added a much more harsh, "Now."

Thankfully, the crowd was wise enough to know you didn't mess with Prime, especially when his voice took on a lilt like that. One by one, the group dissipated, but not without releasing a few hisses of "aww, man". Finally, when the five were left alone, the commander faced Kayla, although his question wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, "…alright. What happened?"

When no one spoke, Jazz decided to break the ice, "I heard a commotion in the lab, an' when me an' Blaster got 'ere, that cyber-rat Soundwave had poor Kayla pinned to the wall. Must've got an order from Megs, 'cause then he jus' up n' left."

"And when you arrived, she was already transformed?" the leader asked, just to get the facts straight.

The saboteur nodded, "Yes, sir."

There was a long pause, before Optimus put a hand on Kayla's shoulder; startling her a bit. Not wanting to traumatize her anymore than she already was, he kept his questions as brief as possible, "Kayla…did Soundwave cause any harm to you?"

The girl was still in such a shock over her transformation, she completely forgot about the Decepticon. She shook her head, "…I don't think so."

A hand went to her mouth, and the four 'Bots stiffened a look of shock, as all of them were more than a bit taken aback at her metallic change in voice. The poor femme seemed as if she was about to cry, so Prime tried steering the conversation away from her a moment, "Did he ever say what the Decepticons were after?"

The red head thought back, piecing together everything that happened before the phenomena occurred, "…he…he said he was after "the chip"…and I must've grabbed it by accident…and then…" She motioned to her body, "…THIS happened."

Ratchet grimaced, "Fraggin' tape deck must've been spying on us the whole time that day." He then shot Wheeljack a nasty glare, "I told you this was a bad idea, and NOW look where it's gotten us!"

The scientist crossed his arms, "How is Soundwave snoopin' on us my fault?!"

"Don't put words in my mouth", the ambulance's hands balled into fists, "You KNOW what I'm talking about."

The argument quickly escalated into a yelling match, and Jazz let loose a groan. This was no time to fight; his friend was in trouble! Optimus clearly thought the same, for he began to move towards the two-hands rising, ready to break it up…

…when oddly enough, it was Kayla who brought the silence with a loud shout of, "GUYS!"

Both the doctor and scientist swiveled at the femme, who looked as if she reached her breaking point. Sighing, she calmed down a bit, before pleading, "Please…just tell me if I'm gonna' ever be normal again."

The two 'Bots eased up, especially upon hearing how desperate she sounded. After giving each other an apologetic glance, Ratchet took her by the shoulders and gently guided her to an examination table, "Why don't you come over here and we'll take a scan of you."

Wheeljack's head tilted with interest, "That's funny. You still can't see?"

The musician just shook her head, and the Lancia made a mental note of his observation. Meanwhile, the girl lied down on the birth like asked, mumbling, "Never thought I'd be lyin' down on one of these things."

The ambulance chuckled, "Don't worry, this won't hurt."

He then activated the controls underneath the table, and suddenly, an overhead panel emitted a bright green light-slowly sweeping over her whole body like a CAT scan. Not long after, an image appeared on screen, and Jazz and Optimus gathered around to look.

At that point, the girl felt it safe to sit up, "Well doc, anything?"

On the nearby computer screen, an image appeared much like the one from Wheeljack's presentation a few days ago. Only this time, the respective human and Cybertronian outlines were much more detailed; explaining the vital statistics of her body and the shell that now encompassed it.

'Jack's optics widened as he marveled at his creation, "It was just like I planned it. A human inside an Autobot shell. Amazing."

"A shell?" Jazz scratched his head.

"I may be a scientist, but I can't rewrite DNA", the Lancia explained, "All the pendant is doing is just creating a kind of armor around Kayla's body."

The femme tried to make a comparison, "Kinda' like Ironman?"

"If you wanna' put it that way, yeah", Wheeljack rubbed his chin, "The human you is still inside there, somewhere, kid. You may LOOK like a robot, but you definitely ain't one internally."

The red head let out a sigh of immense relief; that was one mystery solved anyway. But soon, another question came to her, "I'm still able to feel stuff, though…as if this WAS my body. What's up with that?"

Jazz added in, "Yeah, and why does she look the way she does?" Starting to turn red in the face, he noted, "She still looks an awful lot like herself…just…bigger."

If the scientist could roll his optics, he would, over what the saboteur could've possibly been thinking. Trying to stay serious, he glanced back at the screen, "That, I'm not so sure of. I mean, when I built the thing, I intended for there to be link ups to the human's nervous system and spine-to be able to control the armor. That's probably why she's able to feel." He then crossed his arms, "But as for why she looks the way she does, that's another mystery to solve. Maybe those "hot buttons" linked to more than I thought. And if that's the case, maybe part of her subconscious affected the transformation-gave her the stuff it knew she'd need? I won't know 'till I run more tests." He turned his attention back to the girl, "I don't even know what you're capable of now in that thing."

There was a moment's pause as the musician processed all the information suddenly spat at her. Well that was just great and all, but he still didn't extinguish the question still left burning. Her arms folded as she tried to keep her temper in check, "Look 'Jack, as amazing as all this is, right now, I don't care what I'm capable of. You said I was still human in this thing, so…just go ahead and…change me back now, 'kay?"

There was a long, tense silence, as Wheeljack thought; growing ever nervous as all optics were now on him. Heaving a heavy sigh, he uttered only four words.

"…I don't know how…"

The mechs stiffened a gasp, but their mouths hung open in shock. Kayla, however, looked as if she'd just been handed a death sentence. Her heart sank to the lowest point it had ever felt in her life, and for a moment, she didn't believe what she just heard. Finding her voice, she stuttered, "…wha…whadda' ya' mean you don't know how?!"

"It's just what I said; I don't know", the Lancia lowered his head in shame, "I told you guys, it was just in the testing phase. I still had a lot of work to do on it…more bugs to work out."

"And you call not putting in an off switch a bug?!" Ratchet spat. At that point, he was fuming-stomping until he was right in the scientist's face, "Do you realize what you've just done?!"

Even with a face mask, it was clear the inventor was in a world of guilt. For all intents and purposes, he had just doomed this poor girl to a life she didn't want to live…and an inhuman one at that. It was then that he fully understood the meaning of Prime's warning from a few days ago. This wasn't just another invention that he could brush himself off from after blowing up. This was a living being who's world he literally transformed…possibly permanently.

At a loss for words, all he could mumble was, "…I had the best intentions…"

The ambulance nearly did a face palm, "…some of the WORST possible mistakes in the world are made with the best intentions…"

Suddenly, through the tense silence, there came the soft sound of a desperate sob. Slowly, the four Autobots turned to see Kayla's face in her hands as she began to cry. It was both a spark-breaking and odd sight, watching streams of blue optic fluid pouring out from under her visor. Jazz wrapped an arm around her; trying in vain to console the femme who felt like her life was over.

But her breath became hitched when Wheeljack quickly grabbed her by the shoulders; shaking her just slightly so she'd pay attention, "Kayla…listen to me. You're gonna' be okay, alright? I'm gonna' fix this. I'm really sorry…REALLY sorry; for everything. And I'll understand if you'll hate me forever for it. But I'm gonna' do all I can to help. I'll work day and night; never stoppin' 'till I find a way to change you back. Ya' hear me? You WILL be human again."

He then realized his voice started to sound desperate, so after staring her right in the optic, he added a firm and determined, "I promise."

Considering all that transpired, it was hard for the girl to trust anyone at the moment. But hearing his caring tone, she realized who she was talking to. This was the inventor who got the Autobots in and out of countless scrapes before and always won. He was a 'Bot who was true to his word. To lose faith in him would mean losing all hope of ever being normal again. She tried to dry her tears; giving him a tiny nod and very soft mutter of, "…okay…"

The mechs looked to one another in worry; feeling nothing but pity toward her. Wheeljack stole a glance at Jazz, who face remained unreadable. And considering how emotional the Porsche usually was, this worried him. What was he possibly thinking about him? He either DID sympathize with 'Jack and understood the whole thing was an accident…or if he was angry, he was keeping it well hidden for Kayla's sake. Maybe a little of both?

His thoughts were broken when the saboteur took the red head by the arm, "C'mon…I think we all had 'nough excitement 'fer one cycle. You can crash in ma' quarters."

The girl remained quiet, but nodded in recognition; letting her friend guide her out of the lab. She stumbled more than once-still trying to gain balance in her new body. And each and every time, Jazz would simply help her up-letting his shoulder be her support. All the while, Ratchet gave the inventor one more fitting glare before storming out. Finally, Prime was the last to leave, to which he simply began walking towards the exit. Wondering why his leader hadn't said anything, the Lancia called, "…sir?"

The 18-wheeler didn't stop, "Yes?"

"What happens now?" was the question.

The Kenworth knew what he was really asking, "Frankly, I don't know whether to punish you or not. This WAS all just an accident…but I DID warn you of the consequences of a device like this." The leader sighed, "I wouldn't be concerned about that; she's your highest priority right now."

The fact that Optimus wasn't directly facing him was a clear sign he was trying to keep his emotions in line. All the inventor could think to say was, "…you're angry with me…huh?"

By then, the truck had reached the doorway, and with that question, he finally stopped and turned to face Wheeljack. Taking a deep breath, Prime's head dipped down:

"…no…just disappointed."

He left the lab.

.

.

.

"Doin' alright, Kay?"

The femme shrugged at Jazz's question, "…I guess so."

Her tone said otherwise, but it was all the Porsche could think of to say to try and keep her calm. The two were attached to each other like glue; weaving their way through the kayos that still wrought the Ark. Slowing them down even further was their own comrades, who kept stopping to gawk at what had become of their once-human friend. To that end, the saboteur would flash a warning glare-signaling anyone to back off. Thankfully, most were wise enough to take the hint.

The long bouts of silence gave Kayla time to think. At least the walk was allowing her better balance. But much like moving around in a costume made out of cardboard, the clunky metal skin was, never the less, an odd feeling. It was nothing compared to her humiliation, however-the fact that she now fully relied on others to direct her. She'd memorized every nook and cranny of the Ark, but her now huge size difference made counting her steps impossible. Twenty-five paces now equaled three.

But true to character, she DID manage to find one silver lining to the whole situation.

She could now fully embrace Jazz's hand for the first time.

Just the sensation of slotting her fingers through his…something she always dreamed of doing and thought impossible…it was…amazing. It was-

"Kayla, stop!"

She was snapped from her thoughts when the saboteur suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. The movement was so quick, it made her gasp; wondering what she had almost run into. Her face bore a look of puzzlement, "What is it? What'd I do?"

The 'Bot paused; nervous to break the news to her. She could sense his hesitation and pressed, "…Jazz?"

He took a breath and finally stuttered, awkwardly, "…ya'…almost stepped on Carly…"

The girl's optics widened at such a simple, yet horrifying statement. Instantly, she froze in place; not daring to move an inch. Meanwhile, the aforementioned blonde tried to hide how shaken she was. That save was TOO close. Then slowly, Spike and Chip peeked out from behind her, and the trio stared up at what had become of their friend in wide-eyed wonder. They may have been around the Autobots for years…but to know that THIS one was once human…

Chip built up the nerve to speak, "…Kayla? Is that you?"

The femme held back a gasp-she didn't know he was with her too. And when Spike spoke up afterwards, it made her all the more stunned. Just one more step…and all three of them would've…

VERY slowly, she knelt down, causing the three humans to back up and give her space. The moment she was at eye level with them, she started to break up, "Spike…Carly…Chip…I'm…I'm so sorry…I…"

Tears the size of watermelons began to pour from her optics, and the trio had to cover their heads. Between trying not to get splashed, Carly shouted, "Kayla! It's okay!"

"Yeah, calm down! You're literally crying a river!" Spike added in; wishing he had an umbrella at the moment.

Realizing she was causing her friends even more harm, the red head tried in vain to stop the weeping. Quickly, Jazz knelt down next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. Only then did the humans notice him. Chip wheeled up to the two in sympathy, "Is she going to be okay?"

The saboteur put on his best smile, "Ol' 'Jack's workin' on fixin' her up right now. He'll have her back to her old self in less than a nano-click." He turned to his friend, "Right, Kay?"

The musician nodded, but she looked anything but confident in that statement. Carly frowned at just how scared her gal pal was. Seeing as how one of Kayla's hands was still in her lap, the blonde walked up and put her own hand on the human-sized finger, "Try to keep up hope. I know Wheeljack can change you back."

Chip nodded and wheeled next to Carly, "She's right. And I'm going to help him. With the Autobots, nothing's impossible, and YOU know that."

The musician blinked in surprise at how determined he was. It made her wonder if they were saying these things because they truly believed, or if they were just trying to make her feel better. Well, regardless, it was still heartwarming to know they'd still stick by her, despite her transformation. She gave them a tiny smile and sincere, "thank you."

The humans gave a smirk in kind, before remembering she was still blind, even though she was a robot. To drive home this fact, the femme slowly turned her palm up, allowing Spike and the others to step inside her hand. Feeling her own friends between her fingers…how tiny they were…it was eerie.

Chip broke the awkward silence, "…Kayla?"

The red head's voice turned distant, as she harkened back to her childhood, "…even after I went blind, I still had a dollhouse; played with it a few times…and sometimes, I wondered what the dolls were thinking-seeing a giant towering over them." She then cast her head down and blushed, "…is that what I look like to you guys?"

The blonde winced, "Well…maybe just a little…"

Kayla would've rolled her optics if she could. If that wasn't the biggest lie of the year…she let out a sigh, "Well, you three are definitely like Barbie dolls now." Turning toward Jazz, she added, "Is this what you guys go through all the time?"

"'Fraid so", the saboteur rubbed the back of his head, "Ya' gotta' be EXTRA careful now…'cause these "dolls" ain't the kind you can glue back together if ya' break 'em."

The femme gave a timid nod; now even more nervous about re-learning how to get around, since it meant trying to avoid squishing her own friends. The human trio was clearly frightened as well, so to ease the tension, Carly chuckled, "Well…I always DID want to be like Barbie."

Playing along, Spike crossed his arms, "Then you can at least let me be G.I. Joe."

Chip couldn't help himself, as he began to laugh at their banter. And soon enough, to everyone's surprise, Kayla was giggling as well. Even through all the madness, her friends still treated her as if nothing happened, and for her, it was the most comforting feeling of all.

The red head finally put her hand down to let the trio go on their way. Jazz helped her to her feet, "Well, we better get goin'. Ya' got a lot to learn 'bout bein' a 'Bot."

With a final nod, Kayla let herself be led away, but not before turning around to ask her friends one more question, "Guys?"

"Yeah?" Spike acknowledged.

The femme blushed, "Um…I know this is gonna' be hard to get used to…for all of us…but…I'm still the same person on the inside…just so you know."

Carly looked bemused, "We know."

Those two little words were enough to lift a heavy weight from the musician's shoulders, and she sighed in relief. Re-joining the saboteur, the two trotted down the hallway once more. Meanwhile, the humans waited until the giants were out of sight, before looking at each other in slight horror. And even though no one could pluck up the nerve to speak, they didn't have to, for all of them could see their thoughts plain as day. Their comrade was living proof of an experiment gone wrong.

…and it could've been THEM.

.

.

.

"Here we are; home sweet home."

With a clap of his hands, Jazz turned on the lights and ushered Kayla into his quarters. For her, it was the strangest sensation. She had stayed in this room countless times, to the point it was like a second house to her. But to be in this new body; at equal height with her robotic counterpart…it was if she was visiting for the first time all over again.

The saboteur merely watched as the femme slowly made her way around the room-her hands lightly passing over every object. From the stereo to his birth, the girl covered every inch with an infectious sense of wonder, as she was no longer the proverbial doll she had mentioned earlier. Finally making it to the desk, she plopped down in the chair; resting her head in her hands as she contemplated the day's events.

Noticing her worried look, the Porsche finally spoke, "Everythin' alright, Kay?"

The red head knew that Jazz already knew the answer-he was merely trying to break the ice. Heaving a heavy sigh, she turned toward him, "Do I have to really answer that?"

The Autobot blushed; feeling stupid for saying anything, "I'm really sorry 'bout all this. If I had gotten there quicker, then…"

"It's not your fault", Kayla cut him off. Thinking a moment, she continued, "In fact, it's no one's fault…not even Wheeljack's. I mean, he had the thing up high where no human would be near it…it WAS just an accident."

Accident or not, that didn't make the problem any easier; that fact was certain, as attested by her meloncoly tone and expression. The saboteur had never felt so helpless before-he was ALWAYS ready and able to assist his friends. To see his equivalent of a little sister suffering in a way that he could do nothing to reverse it…it made him wish all the more that he could trade places with her.

He then realized he would have to become the best big brother figure possible if she was to come out of this experience with her sanity intact. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gently spoke, "I'll be prayin' ta' Primus n' everyone else up there that you can be changed back. But ya' know that no matter what happens, you'll always have a home with th' Autobots."

Kayla slowly swiveled around to face Jazz-taking in his words. She may have been transformed, but he and the others still treated her with the same care and friendship…guess they knew she WAS the same person on the inside after all. Optics turning teary with emotion, she suddenly sprang up and embraced the Porsche in a hug…the first time she was ever able to do so. She relished the sensation as she muttered, "Thanks, Jazz."

Said 'Bot gladly returned the embrace and smiled, "Yer' welcome."

If such a thing were possible, the femme would've hung on to that moment forever. But upon hearing the word "home", her optics widened as she suddenly remembered something very important. The saboteur immediately noticed her worried look, "Somethin' wrong?"

A hand went to her mouth, as she was so surprised she hadn't thought of it sooner. To which, she could only mumble out two words, "…my mom."

Realization dawned, and Jazz's mouth dropped open. Kayla was typically back at her house by now, meaning Mrs. Matthews would be wondering what happened. She had no clue of the kayos that had been wrought upon the Ark.

…she had NO idea what her daughter had been turned into…

"Jazz", the red head looked more scared than ever, "She's gonna' come lookin' for me if I don't check in…if she finds out about this…"

Her sentence was left hanging, as she didn't want to even think of the consequences. If the situation were different, the Porsche would've laughed at the thought of a huge Autobot being afraid of a tiny human. But he fully understood this was no joke. Her mother would personally see to it to have the heads of all parties involved in the accident on a silver platter.

…but he also knew a lie would only make things worse.

"You KNOW you gotta' tell her the truth", he said matter of factly.

But Kayla was already shaking her head, "I CAN'T."

Jazz sighed, "This isn't exactly somethin' you can hide."

One could almost see the light bulb go off over the musician's head, "No…but we CAN stall for time."

The saboteur nearly did a face palm, not only at the idea, but that he was going along with it. His face took on a look of defeat as he replied, "Fine. We'll play it your way. But if this goes south, don't say I didn't warn ya'."

The red head nodded, and was about to speak when she realized another problem; how was she going to call her mom? Teletraan-One was still out of commission, and she didn't have her communicator…not that she would be able to use it anyway, considering how big her hands were now. Perhaps it was time to test the "suit's" abilities? She finally voiced her thoughts, "Um…how do you guys use your personal comms?"

The Porsche scratched his head, as he was somewhat pondering that himself. It was like the equivalent to asking "how do you blink"-he never had to teach such a basic function. Aware she was still waiting for an answer, he shrugged, "Well, uh…I'm not sure how to explain it, 'specially if yer' not a "real" Cybertronian. For us, it's just another CPU function. Ya' just…do it."

The femme rubbed her chin, "So…if I just think of the number real hard, the suit'll do the rest?"

"Doesn't hurt to try", Jazz surmised.

Kayla couldn't believe how absurd that statement just sounded…but it was all they had to go on. So, with that, she began to concentrate. What she should concentrate ON, she hadn't the slightest clue, so she stuck to just reciting the phone number over and over in her mind-hoping the armor would get the idea and pick up a signal.

And then…

"…it's ringing!" she suddenly gasped.

Jazz looked surprised himself-shocked the odd plan actually worked, "Really?"

The girl nodded, "I've actually got a dial tone…in my head." Doing a face palm, she added, "Man, this is weird."

But the funny moment was soon shattered when a familiar voice spoke in her audio, "Hello?"

The girl's optics widened, "…Mom?"

One could hear the immense relief in the mother's tone, "Kayla, don't EVER scare me like that! You KNOW I worry when you don't call! Where are you?"

_Inside a giant robot body._

"With Jazz", her daughter stuttered. Well, at least THAT part was true. She tried to stay calm, "Relax; I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine to me", Mrs. Matthews scolded. Clearly, she wasn't the only one with good ears, "Are you feeling okay? Your voice sounds different."

Kayla held back a gasp-she completely forgot about her metallic vocal change. Thinking quick, she spouted off the first excuse that came to her, "Oh, that? Um…Teletraan-One's kinda' havin' some interference. It's just…static."

By now, her face was flushing red; she WISHED it was just static. Meanwhile, the saboteur shook his head at such a paper thin lie. He couldn't even hear the other half of the conversation, and his spark STILL sank at such crude tactics. For her sake, he could only hope that either her mom would buy the charade, or that Kayla was as creative with her lies as she was with guitar.

There was a long pause, and one could almost sense that Mrs. Matthews was raising an eyebrow in suspicion-something just didn't feel right. But keeping her basic instincts in check, she sighed, "Well, tell Jazz, or whoever's bringing you home, to get a move on; it's getting late."

It was now or never. Truth or lie?

Kayla took a deep breath.

"I…can't", she began, "Um…you see…Teletraan-One's really been actin' up lately…cosmic rust. I told you about that stuff, right?"

Her mom seemed a bit befuddled, "Er, yes…I think. But what's that got to do with anything?"

Had she still been human, the musician's face would've been drenched in sweat; her older counterpart knew how to ask hard questions, "Well, uh…we obviously have to fix the super computer; headquarters can't run without it. So the guys are gonna' need all the help they can get."

"Kayla, you KNOW I hate it when you spring stuff like this on me", the mother exhaled a breath of frustration, "How long are you staying this time?"

Suddenly, the girl faultered. She nearly forgot about the time limit she'd have to set. Just how long could she hide at Autobot HQ before her mother became suspicious? With that, she finally stuttered out an honest sentence, "I…don't know. As long as it takes…I guess."

She practically squeaked out the last two words, and the line went quiet. There was a long, tense moment, and Kayla's heart practically exploded from her metal chest. Did her mom actually believe her, or was she busted?

Suddenly, the woman broke the quiet with a stern voice, "I'm giving you one week-no more, no less. And if you're not back home by then, I'll come for you myself."

The red head's optics widened; her mom was willing to come to headquarters? She never did THAT before. Was one week enough time? Her thoughts were broken when said mother spoke again, "Understood?"

The guitarist may have gotten into fights with her older counterpart before, but even SHE knew when "the boss" was laying down the law. Submitting to her fate, she breathed a nervous sigh, "Crystal."

Another pause, and then, "…are you still there?"

Realizing she'd gone quiet, Kayla struggled to find words, "Y-yeah, I'm here. Uh…I better get goin'-the line's startin' to get cut off."

"Okay then…I'll let you go", Mrs. Matthews spoke quickly, "You just be careful, alright? I'm trusting you."

_I'm trusting you._

The musician held back tears, "Okay…"

"…I love you."

"…love you too…"

And that was that.

For almost a full minute, the room was quiet; one could've cut the tension with a knife. Jazz looked on at his friend in worry; wondering what had happened. Even if she was a giant robot now, he still had never seen her look so scared and vulnerable before.

Finally, curiosity got the best of him, "Well…what's the verdict?"

The girl's sightless optics bore through the floor; starring at everything and nothing. She didn't even lift her head up as she mumbled, "…one week."

Her voice was so soft, the saboteur had to lean in, "Huh?"

Slowly, the femme's head rose to face the Porsche's general direction, "Wheeljack has one week to change me back."

"Not enough time at all", Jazz thought. Still, he'd seen old 'Jack work miracles before, and it was better than nothing. He broke the quiet with a sigh, "…alright then."

He was about to say more, but before he could, he noticed Kayla beginning to sway a bit. Suddenly, her optics shut, and she fell forward in a faint. Quickly, the Autobot caught his friend in his arms; trying to help her back to her feet. His voice full of concern, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"I think so", the red head sputtered out, "Just really, really tired."

The saboteur shook his head. The girl had been caught in the crossfire of an attack on headquarters. She was chased around by Soundwave-turned into a robot. She must've been EXHAUSTED. It was only surprising she hadn't collapsed from the strain earlier. With all the tenderness of an older brother, he ushered her to his birth, "Come on now; time for bed."

If the musician still had eyebrows, she would've raised one, "Um…and where should I lay down exactly? I think a normal bed's the size of a matchbox now."

For the first time since the whole eventful day started, the Porsche chuckled, "On ma' birth a' course."

"But where will you sleep?" the girl blushed.

"On da' floor; where else?" he stated matter of factly.

Kayla's optics widened a tad in surprise, "Oh no…I couldn't."

The 'Bot put a hand on her shoulder, "Really, it's okay. I've been fightin' this war fer' as long as I can remember. Ya' don't wanna' know the places I've had to recharge before." Winking, he added, "Dat' in mind, crashin' on the floor's a dream come true."

Knowing she wasn't going to win a fight with him, the red head bowed in defeat and released a sigh. She then slowly reached out with both hands and began to investigate the "bed", if you would. She'd sat on it plenty of times before, but to know she'd now be sleeping on it, and taking up the full capacity no less…it was just so awkward. But finally, she crawled on and lied down; taking in the feeling. It reminded her of an examination table at the doctor's office-so cold and hard and flat. And the Autobots SLEPT on these things? How did they ever get comfortable?

The femme listened as Jazz sat down; reclining back on the wall behind him. Within seconds, he was silent. She figured his years of spy work taught him how to settle into a position quickly-especially if he'd have to stay in one spot for hours…maybe even days on end. Her mind then drifted…if she WAS doomed to be trapped in this robot body forever…would she have to fight in the war? As in, REALLY fight? On the battlefield?

"Hey Jazz?" she whispered.

The Porsche had since turned off the lights. He turned his head to stare into a glowing blue visor much like his own, "Yeah?"

"…I'm scared."

He could hear the fear behind those two simple words, and how much they were implying. But he was still determined to keep things cool, and he put a smile behind his reply, "Don't be. We're here for ya'."

She took solace in his reassurance, but it still did nothing to help her get comfortable on the metal birth. After rolling over a few times, she finally laid on her back-releasing a huff of frustration.

This was going to be a LONG week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So, the clock's ticking to turn Kayla back. I wanted to emphasize that Wheeljack's never really been called out on the mistakes he's made, so naturally, everyone's really angry when he makes the biggest "oops" of his career. We've never seen anyone disappointed in him, much less Prime, so I explored that angle a bit.
> 
> I also thought it would make for good character development by having Kayla have insecurities about her blindness, as well as lie to her mom more, AND be genuinely scared for once. She's just so used to having her life under control; this craziness is pushing her to her limit. What would YOU do if this happened to you?
> 
> Up next; a week as an Autobot.


	7. Chapter 7

The sound of an engine rumble is what first woke her up.

A moment later, Kayla realized that was her stomach growling.

It was a wonder to anyone how the girl could've possibly slept through the night, all craziness considered. But evidently, yesterday's excitement finally wore her down enough that she could nab some shut eye-even on a cold slab fit for Frankenstein. Slowly, but surely, she turned over; still half asleep, only to go tumbling off the birth with a resounding crash.

That was enough to jar Jazz awake. Immediately, he sprang to a sitting position with a gasp. But he quickly realized he wasn't under attack-it was only his best friend lying in a mangled heap on the floor. Concerned as he was, he still couldn't help but feel awkward as he leaned over, "Uh…mornin'?"

The red head didn't even make a move. Instead, she merely sighed out a monotone, "Hey Jazz." A long pause, and then, "…I'm still a robot, aren't I?"

"Yep", the Porsche yawned.

"…so it wasn't a dream."

"Nope."

"Damn."

Another moment, and: "…some HELP would be great."

Finally, the saboteur snapped to action, and he lent the girl an arm. He mumbled a sheepish, "oh…sorry", chalking up his slow reaction time to not being fully awake. Soon enough, the blue and orange femme was back on her feet, and she brushed herself off as her friend added in, "How ya' feelin'?"

_Well, let's see; I was turned into a giant robot. I might be stuck this way forever. I almost killed my friends, and I have a week to change back, or my mom'll want the Autobots' heads on silver platters. How do ya' THINK I feel?!_

That's what she wanted to say, anyway. But she managed to restrain herself; knowing that Jazz was only concerned for her. With a huff, she sputtered, "Well…I'm not in any pain, if that's what you mean."

The Porsche wanted to slap himself for being such a dork. It wasn't often he found himself tongue-tied, but what else could one say when faced with such a strange situation? In the end, he felt it best to let his spark do the talking, and he put a hand on her shoulder, "Why don't we get somethin' to eat? I always feel better after a fuel up."

Right now, breakfast sounded REALLY good, as attested by another stomach growl. But soon, realization hit, and Kayla's optics widened a bit, "Um…I don't eat energon. I eat food."

As the information set in, Jazz's face dropped as well. A hearty drink with friends was one of his first solutions to a buddy down in the dumps. But this was a human who just HAPPENED to be in a robot body. Shoulders slumping, he blushed.

"…I'll get Wheeljack."

.

.

.

"I must say, this IS quite the predicament, isn't it?"

Perceptor scratched his head at the music duo, who had come into the lab bearing an odd request. What troubled him even further was how clueless he was as to what to do to solve the problem. As he gave it a ponder, Kayla listened for a certain Lancia walking about, but heard nothing.

"Where's Wheeljack?" she asked; getting worried.

The scientist let out a sigh, "I believe my colleague locked himself in here for the remainder of yesterday. I was only able to enter this morning, and by then, he was nowhere to be found. No doubt he needed to refuel himself; I can't nary a thought without energon myself."

The femme's face wore concern. So Wheeljack stayed in the laboratory the whole night? Guess he really DID mean it when he said he wouldn't stop until he found a way to help her. But even so, she didn't want him hurting himself, "So…he never went back to his quarters? Not even to sleep?"

Despite the situation, the microscope couldn't help but chuckle, "My dear, you should know by now that Wheeljack hardly recharges when something's on his CPU. Besides, he's made quarters for himself right here in the lab. Comes in a pinch when he's working on new inventions."

The musician rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, "Wow…all this time, I never knew his quarters was actually IN the lab. Makes sense, I guess."

"I suppose we all learn something new every day", Percy shrugged. He then put his hands behind his back, "Now then, let's see if we can solve your…eating situation."

The British-sounding 'Bot then gently ushered Kayla over to a nearby examination table. Jazz began to follow, but upon stepping past an open door, his attention was immediately drawn inside. Despite the lights being off, he was no less shocked at what he could see from the available light seeping in. This room was clearly Wheeljack's quarters, as attested by the hundreds of blueprints and schematics strewn everywhere. The birth and desk computer wasn't even visible anymore. But even through the chaotic mess, the saboteur could still spot a few hastily-written notes regarding the transformation pendant, as well as x-ray read outs of Kayla and her femme form.

A shake of the head and frown later, "Jackie, you are somethin' else…"

His thoughts were broken when the scientist called, "Jazz, could you come here, please?"

The sports car took one last glance over his shoulder at the tattered quarters, before promptly shutting the doors, "Sure thing, Percy."

The microscope was engrossed in preparing a read out panel, but still gave a long-suffering groan, "Would you PLEASE quit calling me Percy." He then motioned to a cat scan projector over the birth, "Here, lock the scanner in place while I recalibrate the sensors."

The Porsche knew when Perceptor was in "the zone"; best not to interrupt him. Instead, he quietly circled around the table, until he was standing right next to Kayla. He leaned over to hook the projector in the right clamps, when he suddenly got a close look at his friend. It was painfully clear she was trying everything to appear passive; to look perfectly satisfied with having to live in a giant, metal body forever. He wanted to say something, but came up short for words.

Surprisingly, it was she who broke the tense silence, "It's kinda' weird."

The saboteur poked his head up, "What is?"

Her face was deep with reflection as she continued, "Well, it's just that…I've been in the med bay, and here in the science lab hundreds of times…but this is the first time I've ever had to be the patient."

The Porsche knew that the red head, despite being blind, could hear every nuance in the expressions he made behind his words. So he didn't even think twice when he winked and gave a smirk, "Trust me, if more soldiers were like you, Ratchet wouldn't be so grumpy."

For the first time in ages, Kayla let a tiny smile creep out, and her metal cheeks flushed. All the while, Jazz gazed at her in an almost wistful way…he hadn't noticed just how pretty she looked as a femme…

Just then, the girl sat up a bit, causing the saboteur to break from his thoughts, "Somethin' wrong?"

The musician tilted her head slightly; her face contorting in puzzlement, "I hear footsteps."

That got Perceptor's attention. He finally lifted his head from the control panel in surprise, "Are you certain you're not just hearing things, dear? For how many explosions that occur here, Skyfire had the lab sound proofed."

"I'm positive", she nodded, "And they sound like they're coming this way."

A moment later, her suspicions were confirmed when the doors opened with a swish, and Wheeljack suddenly entered the lab. He had a cup of energon in one hand; a data pad in the other. So engrossed was he in what he was reading, that his two new guests went completely unnoticed. It was only when Percy coughed that 'Jack finally looked up, only to practically choke on his drink when he saw just WHO it was. Gathering himself, he stuttered, "Oh…uh…I, um…didn't expect you guys…this early."

The microscope crossed his arms in a huff, "Well, if the young lady wasn't in such dire straights, we wouldn't be bothering you, now would we?"

Kayla frowned at Percy's tone of voice. 'Jack made a huge mistake, but he didn't have to have it rubbed in his face. Jazz, meanwhile, thought the same. The scientist would probably say different if he saw what the Lancia's quarters looked like. But neither of them had time to say anything, for Perceptor suddenly shoved a new data pad at Wheeljack, "Here; a new read out for you."

"Thanks, Percy", the inventor mumbled. After reading over the info, he let a frustrated sigh escape him, "Slaggit…no change since yesterday…"

Although he kept his voice at a low mumble, the femme could hear him loud and clear. She couldn't hide her worried expression as she sat up completely. Still, no change also meant that the situation hadn't gotten worse either, so that was something at least. Just then, her stomach let loose another growl, and she finally dared to speak, "Um…'Jack?"

The Lancia looked up from his work, "Yeah?"

"I haven't eaten since yesterday", Kayla flat out replied; rubbing her stomach for emphasis.

It took a moment, but soon, Wheeljack's optics widened as realization hit, "…oh slag."

"That's what I was trying to figure out", Perceptor shook his head, "Unless you have any ideas."

The inventor rubbed his chin in thought; how was a robot going to eat human food? He glanced around the lab, hoping the answer would just fall out of the sky.

Suddenly, it was Jazz, of all people, who snapped his fingers, "Hey, maybe we could…" But his words fell short, and he sighed, "Nah, it wouldn't work."

"I'm open to ANYthing", 'Jack crossed his arms, "What ya' have in mind?"

The saboteur scratched his head, "Well…I was just thinkin' 'bout that energon transfusion hickey in th' med lab. Ya' know, when a 'Bot needs a buddy ta' lend 'em some fluid."

The red head knew the term all too well. If you're fighting a war, you naturally have to be ready to donate blood. Head tilting, she asked, "You mean, like…put an IV in me?"

Optics lighting up, the Lancia shook the spy by the shoulders, "Jazz, you're a genius!"

.

.

.

"Jazz, you're an idiot."

Twenty minutes later, Kayla was being strapped to yet another birth-this time, in the med bay. Ratchet was forced to dust off an old machine he hoped he never had to use again, so needless to say, he was none too pleased about the whole business. All the while, the saboteur put his hands up in defense, "Aw, cool yer' vents, man. How else are we gonna' help the lil' lady?"

"Yeah, and besides, if this works, it'll get me a step closer to turnin' this thing off", Wheeljack added in; a data pad at the ready-prepared to take notes.

Not able to argue a valid point, the medic merely grumbled as he inserted a large needle into the femme's arm. She, for her part, paid no heed to the pinch, but never the less pondered what the instrument was made of in order to pierce thick metal. Diamond, perhaps? From the syringe, a tube ran into a pump roughly the size of a car engine, and from there, another pipe was attached to carry liquids from another needle.

The girl was still confused, however; the idea just sounded too weird, "Um…how's the food gonna' get to my body?"

"Frag if I know", the ambulance rubbed his optics in frustration, "That's why this plan's so stupid."

"It may SOUND stupid", Wheeljack corrected, "But right now, it's the only plan we've got. Otherwise, she runs the risk of starvin'."

Kayla's optics widened at the outright statement of the obvious. Putting it that way only made her more nervous, to which the robot doctor sighed-patting her on the shoulder as his only form of comfort. His lips formed a grimace has he spit out, "And just where are you going to get this food?"

Silence fell in the med lab, and the scientist and Porsche scratched their heads. They didn't understand much on the ins and outs of a human diet, or why their friendly homosapiens had to eat all different kinds of things. Thankfully, the femme quelled the argument, "There's a fridge in the kitchen that Spike and the rest of us eat in all the time. We'll do like what the hospital had to do for my grandma once; just take whatever you can find and mash it up."

"Hmm…you might have something there", Ratchet rubbed his chin, "Break it down even more-say, a liquid, and we might have our answer."

.

.

.

Needless to say, Spike and his friends were more than perplexed when Wheeljack poked his head through the door of the kitchen and stated bluntly, "Gimme' all your food."

Thankfully, a quick explanation reassured the humans that the Lancia wasn't completely out of his mind. Soon enough, Sparkplug, Spike, Carly, and Chip emptied the contents of the fridge, and carried them down to the med lab. Upon entering, the boy's father stopped short when he got a look at just what 'Jack's invention had done to their blind friend. It was the first time he'd seen her since the accident, and the sight alone sent a shiver up his spine. All he could mutter was, "Looks like we're gonna' have to do A LOT of food shoppin'."

Ratchet looked down to see that each member of the small party had three or so containers in hand, which made him widen an optic-an equivalent to raising a brow, "How much did you bring?"

"Everything", Carly shrugged, "We weren't sure what you needed, or how much, so we just took all of it."

The blonde had no idea what she said to make the ambulance flash a smile at that moment, but she took comfort in it none the less. You knew things were going to be okay if you could get Ratchet to smile. With a careful hand, the doctor palmed all the containers in one swoop; depositing them on a work bench. There, he produced a mixing bowl from a cabinet underneath. He dumped the contents of the boxes on the table, then proceeded to sort through it. Sparkplug offered to help, though in truth, he also desired a better view of Kayla. The Autobot agreed, and placed him on the desk. The father began instructing him on the differences between fruits and vegetables and the like-stealing an amazed glance at the femme now and then.

Once the food was sorted, it then became a matter of squishing it. All it took was Sparkplug mentioning old wine makers that made Kayla's head shoot off the birth, "I better not find out there's Sparkplug feet in my food."

Everyone shared an honest laugh at that, even the femme. But soon, it was back to business, and Ratchet need only press his pinky finger in the bowl to turn a pile of fruit into an instant smoothie. As the ambulance got to work becoming a blender, Jazz eyed the rest of the plethora of snacks laid out upon the table. Energon looked plain and boring, and there were only a limited amount of ways it could be prepared. But this human fuel looked simply delicious, even to a robot. A round object with a white coating caught his attention, and he was extra careful in handling it.

"How 'bout this?" he suggested.

Spike stifled a laugh, "I don't think you can mash a jelly doughnut, Jazz."

The Porsche scratched his head, "Why not?"

Suddenly, the boy's face went dead pan, "It's my breakfast."

A second later, the pastry was back on the table with a soft mutter of, "…oh."

Meanwhile, Chip wheeled himself towards the peculiar machine; wondering why he'd never seen it before. His eyes then traveled to the femme it was connected to. He grew worried at how quiet she was, and could only imagine what she was going through. But oddly enough, his brain also began to pick at his scientific curiosity. If it was him instead of her…would he possibly never need his wheelchair again…?

He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Kayla! Can you hear me?!"

Her head lifted off the table just slightly, "Yeah, Chip; I hear ya'." Her optics contorted in curiosity as Ratchet loaded a canister of mashed up food, "Actually…I can hear you just fine. I thought you guys would have to yell since you're so small now…but I can actually hear better than before."

Wheeljack took careful note of the observation in his data pad, "Interesting. Looks like the armor's startin' to show its side effects."

He was about to say more, but a resounding "OW" from the red head broke his concentration. The ambulance had started up the machine, causing the needle in Kayla's arm to move, which naturally didn't settle too well with her. But soon enough, the tubes and the pump were sending nutrition to her body.

"Now to see if this actually works", the doctor mumbled. He then turned to Wheeljack, "Start the scanner."

As the Lancia began activating a control panel, Chip wheeled closer to the exam table. Nervous as he was, he just couldn't let his nagging question go unanswered, "So…can you see anything at all? Even just a tiny bit?"

The musician was confused at first, until she realized what he was getting at. He'd naturally assume the armor improved her sight if it was increasing her hearing too. She gave a sad shake of the head, "Nope…"

The computer wiz grimaced; what a disappointment. Kayla must've sense the reason behind his silence, for she added in an apologetic, "Sorry Chip…"

The boy tried to smile, "It's not your fault."

A moment later, the scanner was activated, and the femme's body was bathed in a green light. In a few seconds, the overhead computer screen displayed a read out of the new Autobot. A thermal scan of a human body appeared within the robotic outline, and Sparkplug whistled in amazement, "So that's what she looks like in there, eh?"

The girl in question let out a huff, "How many times are you guys gonna' look at naked pictures of me?"

Everyone present went quiet at such a blunt remark; Jazz blushing especially. But soon, a smile crept out of her, and she could keep a straight face no longer. Her burst of laughter caused the rest of the group to join in, after they realized she was only joking. However, the jokes finally died down when the scanner let out a few resounding beeps. Immediately, all the mechs gathered around Ratchet to witness the results. What they saw brought each one of them a look of relief.

"Unbelievable", the ambulance looked in amazement, "Your crazy idea actually worked, Jazz."

The saboteur beamed with pride, "Told ya' it was worth a shot." He then turned to the femme, "How ya' feelin', Kay?"

The red head sighed; happy her stomach wasn't growling, "Actually…pretty good. I don't feel hungry anymore."

With that, Wheeljack helped her off the birth; pulling the IV from her arm as he did, "Well, at least that's one problem we don't have to worry about."

Sparkplug, on the other hand, was already shaking his head, "Maybe…so close, and yet so far."

"Aw, don't bring everyone down, man", the Porsche gave the human a grin, "It's a good first step, an' that's all that matters."

He then put an arm around Kayla and led her out of the lab. As soon as the two were out of sight, Ratchet turned to Carly, "You all better take a few trips to one of your food stores. We still have her lunch and dinner to take care of."

Spike put a hand to his forehead, "And that's just for TODAY."

With that, the medic set Sparkplug back down on the floor, and their human friends filed out of the med bay; praying this wasn't going to be a permanent job of theirs-to provide food for a giant. The only one who remained was Chip, who looked up at Wheeljack, "Everything okay?"

"Um…yeah. I'm fine", the Lancia replied; trying his best to hide his concern. Making sure the ambulance couldn't see his data pad, he glanced down at the readings-noting how the girl's human DNA was becoming more intertwined with the alien technology.

This was NOT good.

.

.

.

"Ya wanna' learn to WHAT?!"

The saboteur practically spit out his drink, causing the other mechs in the mess hall to give him an odd stare. Not that they weren't staring already, seeing as how an orange and aqua femme was keeping him company. It was already day three of her transformation, and the troops went silent anytime Kayla showed herself. As the girl noted, they were either under order to keep their mouths shut, or the group was subjected to so much craziness, a human-turned-Autobot was just another day at the office. And judging by how much weirdness she herself had gone through in her time with her robot companions, she was more than certain it was the latter, not former.

Not seeing the stares from those gathered, the girl continued as if Jazz's outburst never happened, "I mean it. I wanna' learn how to fight."

"But Kayla", the Porsche pleaded; already knowing he was fighting a losing battle, "Don't ya' think you're bein' a bit hasty?"

The musician gave him a firm shake of the head, "You know as well as I do that we gotta' start thinkin' about the long term here."

"YOU gotta' start thinkin' 'bout changin' back", the saboteur downed the last of his drink in one gulp, then braced himself, "Wheeljack's still workin' on…"

"I know he is", she finished, "And as much as I want him to succeed, what if I AM stuck like this? What do we do then?"

Jazz scratched his head, he hadn't given it much thought, "…um."

"Exactly", the red head crossed her arms; knowing she had him backed in a corner, "I'm sorry, Jazz, but if I'm an Autobot now, I gotta' start actin' like one. I don't wanna' have this body, and still be stuck behind a computer all day."

The saboteur was afraid of this. It finally occurred to the girl that she'd been given power, and she wanted to try it out. But he knew very well that having power, and knowing how to use it were two different things…and not even knowing just WHAT that power was exactly made it all the more dangerous.

Kayla looked to be on the verge of tears, "Please Jazz…your optics aren't the best in the world either, so I know you're the perfect one to train me." Hands folded almost in prayer, she added, "Please…I just wanna' be useful."

At that point, the entire room was in a tense silence, as all those overhearing the conversation also awaited the Porsche's answer. The whole thing seemed a bit odd; it wasn't like anyone was stopping her. She could've done whatever she wished; any other mech was ready to take her under their wing. If anything, she should've gone to Optimus for official approval. And yet, for some reason, the femme felt it necessary to get her best friend's permission to take on such a task.

The black and white mech stole one more glance at the red head. That look was just SO desperate…it reminded him of another person; young and scared, but willing to do anything to protect his home-a fresh recruit with no scars.

He saw himself, and he wished he hadn't.

 _Absolutely not_ , was what his mind said.

What came out of his mouth was, "…we'll start at dawn."

.

.

.

When you've been locked in a centuries-old conflict, there's few things that can surprise you anymore. Even less so if you're a giant, transforming robot from outer space. So, something's really got to be off the "what the heck" chart for everyone to take notice.

Case in point, at the crack of dawn, a few dozen or so Cybertronians gathered in the Ark's training room to watch a half-blind Autobot teach a COMPLETELY blind one how to engage in battle.

The event wasn't without its merits, however. Wheeljack seated himself in an inconspicuous corner-using the security cameras to record any and all data on Kayla's performance. He had no doubt this exercise would give him more insight into how the armor was functioning, and what sort of abilities it would give the human. And naturally, he would also be looking for any opening to try and remove the suit as well.

The two musicians faced each other; the femme looking confident and ready; the saboteur showing a face that clearly read, "someone stop me now, for I have completely gone off the deep end in agreeing to this." No such support came, for all who gathered watched in intense curiosity as to how this "fight" was going to pan out. It's a rare thing to have disabilities among robots; most any problem can be reprogrammed or repaired. In short, no one had ever seen a blind Autobot before, much less one in battle. Jazz was the closest, judging by his visor he wore practically 24/7. But his unique problem, and why it was unfixable, was left unanswered. Anyone who dared to ask just received a low mumble about the black ops. and how the information was classified.

Jazz held his hands up to signal the crowd, "If I can have everyone's attention; we're gonna' need all you 'Bots to keep quiet. We're both gonna' have to do a lot of listenin' for this exercise."

Kayla rolled her optics, "Um…I think I can handle a little noise. The Decepticons aren't gonna' have the courtesy to keep quiet so I can concentrate on givin' their butts a beating."

A ripple of laughter stretched across the audience, but the saboteur wasn't amused, "We're hopin' ya' never have to go in the field, period." He glanced over at Wheeljack, "Right?"

The Lancia looked up from his data pad; giving the Porsche a nod, "Right."

But the sharpest audios could still hear the slightest hint of doubt in his answer.

But the red head was too busy flexing her arms and legs; preparing herself as much as she could, "Can we please get started already?"

Somewhere amongst the party, the Lambo twins chuckled, "Famous last words, carrot top!" Sunstreaker shouted.

"The lady said "please", Jazz!" Sideswipe added in.

The girl couldn't help but laugh at the urges from the crowd…only for her to instantly regret it as she felt her feet fly out from under her, and land hard on her back. A few painful and sympathetic "oohs" resonated from the audience, and she realized just what had happened. The saboteur had windmill-kicked her into submission…and without warning.

…and suddenly, her dad's voice came back to haunt her.

_Always keep your ears and senses alert. Don't ever ignore them, not even for a second. Sometimes, a second is all it takes._

"Damn", she spat, "How could I ever forget that?"

Her train of thought was broken when Jazz finally spoke, "Rule one; yer' senses, 'specially yer' audios, are yer' lifeline. Ya' gotta' always stay alert."

The musician already knew THAT. But why would her friend take her by surprise like that? She also took notice he wasn't helping her up.

"Give a girl a warning next time, will ya'?" she began to rise to her feet.

But what she heard next made her freeze, "Th' enemy ain't gonna' give ya' no warnin'."

It wasn't so much the words that made the femme nervous, it was Jazz's tone. So cold and serious; not like anything she ever heard out of him before. In that instant, she thought back to all the times she spent with the Porsche; how every day was unboring and fun…but that was just when he was back at base-after the missions and the fighting was over. She never got to experience the side of him that saw the war, the hardship, lost friends, and…killing.

It was then she realized that as long as they were in the training room, doing REAL training, he was no longer a "big brother"-he was a teacher. And he had just disciplined his student.

It was so simple to forget he was third in command of the Autobots.

It was easy to tell the mood of the room took a drastic swing. The whoops and hollers quickly dissolved to low mumbles. If Jazz, of all people, was being serious, it was time for you to be serious too. So, with that in mind, the femme rose back to her feet; dusted herself off, and kept her head held high as she hissed:

"Okay…It. Is. ON."

With that, she kicked off and charged forward like a quarterback; arms spread eagle. She could count on her fingers the number of times she'd been harassed by a bully, but on each occasion, a swift cane whack ensured no further harassment from said person again. This was her sure fire plan that always worked. Keeping her arms apart made dodging difficult for the attacker. This way, she could grab the waistline in a trophy-worthy tackle.

Sure enough, the tactic did the trick, and both musicians hit the floor. But ever the seasoned soldier, Jazz had a few tricks of his own, and he flipped around-jabbing his elbow into the girl's back; pinning her down. It reminded her of when her and her dad would play wrestle in their living room-with her on the losing end-again-and getting thoroughly frustrated.

Even in the awkward position, the Porsche explained himself ala Mr. Miagi, "That wasn't a half bad move there. Trouble you newbies always have is that ya' always forget to subdue. You attack, then never think of a way to keep the opponent down."

But just as he was finishing his speech, Kayla's free fist came flying backward, Batman style, catching him off guard with a hit to the face. In the precious two seconds he was distracted, the femme threw her arms up; wrapping her hands around the back of his head. She then channeled all her strength into flipping the mech up and over her, ending in a body slam. To the amazement of all, she succeeded, with said saboteur gazing upside down at her in wonder.

As she got to her feet, the red head smirked, "Dad taught me that one." Yet, even she wore a look of surprise as she flexed her fingers, "Didn't think I had that much extra strength."

Ever the observant scientist, Wheeljack took notes, mumbling to himself, "…subject displays greater show of physical force than originally anticipated. Might have to put her through an endurance test later."

All the while, the audience watched with ever-increasing curiosity-wondering just who to root for. The Lambo twins were already placing bets, asking any and all takers to join in. Soon enough, each musician had a team cheering them on. A moment later, Jazz was back on his feet; not wanting one lucky shot to hold him back.

"Alrighty then", he replied with determination, "Ya' proved you're agile, but let's see if you can TAKE a beatin' as much as you can give it out."

Just then, two giant speakers emerged from the Porsche's shoulders. Knowing what was coming, the crowd covered their audios. Just in time, for the saboteur unleashed his secret weapon; a pulsating wave of ultra-loud rock music that deafened any and all who were in its path. This included Kayla, who's hands flew to where her ears would be. Her hearing was sensitive enough already, due to her lack of sight, but now, along with the robot suit, that sense had been multiplied tenfold.

The saboteur couldn't help his look of concern when the femme dropped to her knees; still holding her audios and fighting the pain. He wanted so badly to stop, but knew in his spark it was the only way for her to learn. Even above all the noise, he managed to yell, "The enemy has ya' stunned! What do ya' do now?!"

By that time, the girl felt as if her head was about to split open. "What do I DO?!" she thought, "I'm lucky I can still THINK straight! But I can't say uncle, I just CAN'T. I HAVE to prove to everyone I can handle this."

But her hopes were becoming dashed the more the pain reached an unbearable level. It didn't help that the noise made her so disoriented, she could no longer tell the location of the source. A single tear of optic fluid streamed down her cheek, as all she wanted was just for the attack to stop. If only she had some kind of weapon to fight back with.

She thought hard…ANYthing would suffice…something you didn't need eyes to use…

Just ONE weapon…if only…

…if ONLY…

Suddenly, the femme felt an odd sensation in her shoulders. Much like the day she transformed, she got a tingly feeling as the "tires" on either side of her helm did a flip. A wire mesh appeared in place of where the hubcaps would be, making the wheels look like…

"Are those speakers?!" Jazz thought; surprised at the sudden transformation.

Before Kayla could fully register what had occurred, a crackling noise echoed in her head, just like when she'd "thought searched" for the phone signal to call her mother. Only this time, whatever mechanism inside was flipping through radio channels at rapid speed. Her desperate thoughts crying out for a counter attack finally produced a weapon in the form of the loudest song on the airwaves at that moment.

 

_YOU MAKE ME SHAKEN NOW, I'M NEVER MISTAKEN_

_BUT I CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF, GOT ME CALLIN' OUT FOR HELP_

_S-O-S, PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME_

_IT'S NOT HEALTHY FOR ME TO FEEL THIS WAY_

_Y-O-U ARE MAKIN' THIS HARD_

_I CAN'T TAKE IT, SEE IT DON'T FEEL RIGHT_

_S-O-S, PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME_

_IT'S NOT HEALTHY FOR ME TO FEEL THIS WAY_

_Y-O-U ARE MAKIN' THIS HARD_

_YOU GOT ME TOSSIN' AND TURNIN', CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT_

_THIS TIME PLEASE SOMEONE COME AND RESCUE ME_

_'CAUSE YOU ON MY MIND HAS GOT ME LOSIN' IT_

_I'M LOST, YOU GOT ME LOOKIN' FOR THE REST OF ME_

_LOVE IS TESTIN' ME, BUT I'M STILL LOSIN' IT_

 

For a split second, the Porsche thought back to his early days of the war, and how he and his comrades had to learn to turn hobbies and tools into a force for fighting. Very quickly, he discovered there actually IS an art to playing music at 180 decibels. Certain pitches and tones produced different effects, depending on what you wanted. High tones shattered glass, while bass tone shockwaves could level a building.

Case in point, he had every reason to panic when the femme blasted the song from her shoulders at the highest level possible, with no regard or idea as to how to control herself. The entire room began to shake as both sound waves clashed; each one trying to overpower the other. Bigger mechs held their audios while the smaller ones ducked for cover. All the while, the saboteur long since ceased his attack; focusing on trying to get the red head to calm down.

"KAYLA! SHUT IT DOWN!" he yelled.

But the girl was still too high in defense mode, and too shocked to move, "I CAN'T!"

With each sound wave, the training room was being split more and more apart, and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the roof would cave in. Just then, it was Wheeljack, of all people, who stepped forward. One could practically see the light bulb over his head as he cried out, "KAYLA! LISTEN TO ME! TRY AND THINK ABOUT TURNING THE SPEAKERS OFF! CONCENTRATE!"

Suddenly, the femme's optics snapped open in realization. Of course! If thinking about a weapon was what caused this, then…

Slowly, the red head began to calm down. Knowing she wasn't in danger anymore, she put all her focus into trying to get the music to stop. "Complete and utter silence", she thought, "That's all I want."

…and amazingly enough, little by little, the song gradually decreased in volume…until finally, the room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. This was enough to coax everyone out of their hiding spots, including Sunstreaker, who shook his head, dumbfounded, "…that was insane."

His red brother popped up beside him; a grin plastered on his face, "That was awesome."

The yellow Lamborghini proceeded to slap his sibling upside the head. Meanwhile, Jazz made a beeline for his student; the likes of whom breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kay; ya' alright?" he asked.

The girl was still a bit stunned, but otherwise nodded, "Y-yeah…I think so." A moment later, she added, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that was gonna' happen."

For the first time that day, the saboteur chuckled, "I don't think ANY of us did. One thing's for sure, ya' know how to bring the house down. Literally."

To that, the musician actually smiled; glad to have her friend's old demeanor back. It was all the further sweetened when he replied, I think that's enough trainin' fer' today."

"Good", said a voice. The two music lovers turned to find Wheeljack pacing towards them-a data pad in hand. He had a serious look in his optics as he added, "Because I have to talk to you guys about somethin'."

"Darn right", Kayla folded her arms-the shock from earlier turning to an eagerness for an explanation, "You can start with where all those freaky powers came from!"

"Well, according to these readouts", the Lancia began; glancing at the pad, then back at the femme, "They're comin' from YOU."

The girl looked taken aback, "Me? What do ya' mean?"

The scientist handed the data over to Jazz so he could see for himself. By now, the audience was curious as well, and quieted down as 'Jack explained, "I was doing basic level scans on ya' the whole time. Your brain wave patterns skyrocketed when ya' put on yer' little "concert" there. What were ya' thinkin' right before it happened?"

Kayla knew where he was headed, and it made it hard to answer because she couldn't believe it herself. When she was aware she was taking so long, she muttered, "I…I wanted to fight back somehow…I wanted a weapon…and there it was."

Her voice trailed off, as if that one sentence would explain everything. And apparently, it did, for Wheeljack anyway. Heaving a sigh, he nodded, "Then that settles it."

"Settles what?" Jazz tilted his head.

With the Lancia's crossed arms came round two of the techno babble, "When I was designing the chip, I only programmed the most basic functions of an Autobot; the rest was left up to necessity. I wanted the human to be able to choose what they wanted to be, and not be tied down with only a few options. What must be happenin' here is that the armor is readin' Kayla's thought patterns, and adjusting accordingly. Since ya' can't see, it gave ya' the next best thing to compensate."

The red head held back a gasp, but that didn't stop her optics from widening, "I didn't know Cybertronian tech was capable of that stuff."

"Trust me", the scientist took his data pad back from Jazz, "If a big, glowin' disco ball named Vector Sigma can bring us to life, tech like this is first grade."

The girl shifted uneasily on her feet, "So…what happens now? Does this mean I can create anything I want if I think hard enough?"

"I don't know", Wheeljack shook his head.

"What if I have a bad dream or somethin'?" she shrugged-worry increasing, "Would that set anything off?"

"I don't know that either", the Lancia sounded nothing short of aggravated, "This all has to be experimented; studied, and it's all happenin' so quick. Not to mention I've only been given a week to work with." He rubbed his optics, wishing everyone could just understand that sometimes, you had to have the patience of eons to be a scientist. If he just had a little more time…

Kayla didn't like where he was heading, "So you gotta' examine me all over again?"

The Lancia's words were tinged with regret, "I'm afraid so."

The femme released a sigh of frustration, "I'm tired of bein' a guinea pig."

There was a tense silence, and the scientist feared she was beginning to think he only saw her as an experiment. To distill her worry, he patted her on the back, "Think of it this way. The more data I get, the bigger chance we got of turnin' ya' back to normal."

The musician rubbed the back of her head, "I guess you got a point there."

Bad time for Sideswipe to open his mouth, "Or, you could also be one step closer to being next to us on the battlefield."

Jazz and the others just gave the red Lambo a death glare. His overly-annoyed brother elbowed him in the side, to which he shrugged, "What? Just sayin'…"

Suddenly, a new voice punctuated through the crowd, "Fat chance of THAT happenin'."

Everyone turned to see who had spoke, while the femme recognized the voice as being Cliffjumper's. Sure enough, the red minibot stepped forward, with something clearly on his mind.

One was always stepping on eggshells when it came to the crimson powerhouse, and Jazz didn't want to poke him even further with questions. However, he also knew the minibot wouldn't be satisfied until he had his say. So finally, but hesitantly, he asked, "What do ya' mean, Cliff?"

Said 'Bot crossed his arms in a huff, "I'm still not impressed. This whole thing's just a waste of our time." He gave the crowd a glance over, before focusing on Kayla again, "We've all been watchin' her for days now, and what've we seen? She has to have special meals prepared for her", and he added sarcastically, "which I'm sure Spike and the others take kindly to. She can't transform, so how's she gonna' get anywhere? What are ya' gonna' do, 'Jack? Make her a giant cane to walk with?"

The red head was clearly stung by the statement, and the Lancia's optics narrowed, "Now wait just a nano click…"

But Cliffjumper continued on; jabbing a finger to emphasize his point, "And if she can't see, the only way she can fight is if someone attacks her first. Face it, what good is a blind Autobot who can't transform? Or has no grip on her powers for that matter?"

An uneasy quiet befell the training room; no doubt the Minibot's words struck a chord with everyone present. As harsh and direct as his rant was, he DID have a valid point-one which no one could argue. Wheeljack's head fins took on a red tinge; a clear sign he could barely contain his anger, "Cliff…if you could be in my position for just ONE cycle…"

The two 'Bots were ready to square off, when a depressed sigh cut them off. Both turned to see that Kayla's head was hung low, looking nothing short of hurt…as well as humiliated. She let out an awkward mumble, "…s'okay, 'Jack…he IS right, ya' know…"

The scientist turned on his heel; completely ignoring his little red protestor. Instantly, his tone dropped from borderline rage to sympathy, "Look, Cliff didn't mean…"

"Didn't mean WHAT?" the femme interrupted; now more frustrated than sad, "You know darn well what he said was true! And I know that everyone here thinks the same thing, but just didn't wanna' say it." She tried hard to not let her voice crack as her head dropped in defeat, "I've been turned into a robot…and I'm STILL holding everyone back."

Jazz closed the gap between himself and the red head; more concerned than ever. It wasn't like her at all to just give up so easily. "Kay, ya' only just started", he explained, "This stuff takes practice. LOTS of it. You're a guitarist-you understand that."

He had his hand on her shoulder for all of a second, before she lightly swatted it off; a sting to her tone as she grumbled, "And this is coming from the one who didn't want me fighting in the first place."

He hadn't expected THAT reply, to which, he kept silent. However, he DID know when Kayla had to have time to cool off over something. So, he didn't make a move to stop her when she stormed out of the training room; the others watching her with pained glances.

.

.

.

No matter what the situation, Jazz always knew where Kayla went to find sanctuary from life's often horrible karma. And now was no different. Slinking into his quarters, he found the aqua-orange femme curled up on his birth-her back to him. No doubt she was still burned out over the whole fiasco in the training room. It didn't help that she was so confident at the start, which made getting taken down a few pegs even harder.

The girl lied so still, that the saboteur believed her to be sleeping. Rather than disturb her, he merely gazed at her robot body; admiring her features. He had always thought she was pretty, at least, by human standards anyway. But this transformation now made him perceive her in a new way, in more ways than one. The way her helmet came down around her head, almost like putting a picture frame around her delicate face. The way her door wings fluttered in ordinance with her emotions, be it a tense shake or happy flap. And her unique pony tail…no femme he knew ever had hair before, fake or not. And she wasn't bad in the curves department either; even the clunky metal found a way to give her an hourglass shape.

The red head's new body was on the back of the Porsche's mind since the start, but this was the first time he'd ever sat back and really thought about it. The two were close friends, and in the time of her father's passing, became brother and sister in spirit. They loved each other…as friends…like siblings. And both silently knew that as long as one of them was a giant robot, and the other, a tiny human, that was all the further it could be taken.

But Kayla was a robot now…and he could finally hold her hand and give her a hug…maybe even…

Images of a possible future with this new femme flashed across his CPU…but each one was overshadowed by memories of his time spent with the human. The Sunday drives…the get well melodies in the med bay…hanging out with her mentor, Scratch…the concert at the music store…and most recently, the time she showed him her family photo album, so he could see the father he never got to meet.

And suddenly, he cursed himself for being so selfish. This was his best friend's life he was casually daydreaming about. How could he possibly think to take her away from all that? A human is who she ultimately was…and whether she was turned back or not, her future would be decided by her and her alone.

Still…he couldn't help but hope just a tiny bit that he would be included in that future…

He was torn from his thoughts when Kayla let out a whimper. It was a tiny noise, but still enough to give him a jolt, as he was certain she was asleep. Taking a step closer, he peered over her shoulder to see she was actually awake; tears of blue optic fluid staining her silver cheeks.

"Kay…?" was all the Porsche could mutter; not wanting to scare her in case she didn't hear him come in.

He was given a quick reminder of how good her hearing was, and how it had gotten even better, when she sobbed, "…it's all over, Jazz."

"What's all over?" the saboteur tilted his head in confusion, "What do ya' mean?"

There was a long pause, before the femme slowly raised up a clenched fist. Without a word, she carefully uncurled her fingers to reveal a tiny object in the palm of her hand.

It was her guitar.

The image alone was all the more Jazz needed to understand. That instrument was the epitome of Kayla's very heart and soul. When she couldn't express something in words, she explained through her music. When everything was going wrong, when she had nowhere else to turn, she could rely on her guitar to take the weight off. But now, cupped in her giant hand…it was the size of a toothpick.

_She couldn't play her guitar anymore._

"This guitar was the only thing I had left", the girl broke the silence with a sniff, "And now it's gone too." She finally rolled over; looking nothing short of desperate, "…I got nothin' left."

The saboteur's frown deepened. He'd seen that look too many times to count in his long years of fighting. It was when a comrade was at the lowest point of their life…the look that said they'd lost all hope. And he personally swore to make sure to never see that look again…especially not on his best friend.

Gently, but firmly, the Porsche grabbed Kayla by the shoulders and pulled her up so she'd be sitting and facing him. He then took her head in his hands; wiping away her tears with his thumbs as he explained, "Now listen here, lil' lady…this ain't the Kay I know. The Kay I know never gives up, no matter what."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he put a finger to her lips, signaling to let him continue, "When you've been fightin' in a war for so long, ya' learn to not worry so much about the things you've lost. Instead, try focusin' on the stuff ya' still have." He ticked off on his fingers, "Ya' still got yer' mom, who I know will still love ya' no matter what…ya' got a ton o' friends who all care 'bout ya'…"

He trailed off for a moment, wondering if he should finish his sentence, since it meant sounding like the girl would be a robot forever. Quickly, he tacked on a hopeful note as he finished, "…and Primus forbid, but…if ya' ARE gonna' be a femme from now on…ya' got a home here at the Ark…and we'll all be here to start a new life for ya'." He then added in, "Please Kay…ya' gotta' try and keep yer' hopes up…'cause if YOU'RE losin' hope…then I am too."

Jazz's quarters fell silent as he let his words sink in, praying some of it would get through to his friend. For a very long moment, the femme said nothing. Instead, she merely felt her guitar through her thumb and forefinger with a delicate touch; her mind trying to come to grips with her transformation. The whole disaster had gone by so fast, she never really stopped to think just how much of her old life was going to change. It was the fateful car accident all over again-the one that robbed her of her sight. Thinking back, it wasn't until a few days later that reality set in…

…but she got through it. She had friends and family then…and she still did now.

Jazz was right. If this WAS permanent, it was just another lifestyle change she'd have to cope with, and she wasn't alone. She did it before…she could do it again. It's what her father would tell her to do; to never give up.

And just then, the saboteur saw the return of his old friend when she took a deep breath; dried her tears, and replied, "…you're right."

He finally let her go, allowing her to fully sit up. Not expecting the sudden answer, he blinked in surprise, "Really?"

"Really", she nodded-her voice beginning to become firm, "I…I'm sorry."

"For what?" the Porsche asked.

"For being so selfish", the red head explained, "I always wanted to be a bigger help to you all…and now I finally have that chance. But instead, I just made things worse, being all "oh woe is me", like a crybaby." Cheeks turning red, she added, "I put too much pressure on Wheeljack, as if he didn't have enough problems already…and I pressured you into doing something you didn't wanna' do…I'm sorry."

The femme looked close to shedding more tears, to which Jazz took her hand in reassurance, "Aw, Kay…it's not yer' fault. None of this is yer' fault."

She didn't look convinced, "I don't know about that…but none of this is really Wheeljack's fault either. He made the invention, but he didn't mean for this to happen. It was all an accident."

"In that case", the saboteur replied, "Maybe ya' better tell him that…not all th' 'Bots have been so forgivin'."

Kayla merely nodded; knowing the Lancia would appreciate it. There was a long pause, before she felt the southern Autobot tense up. She leaned forward a bit, "What is it?"

The Porsche blushed, wondering how to start. Finally, he decided to just let it out, "Um…speakin' of apologies…I'm sorry fer' the…um…"tough love" I gave ya' back in the trainin' room. I didn't hurt ya', did I?"

To his surprise, the femme actually chuckled, "Nah, I'm okay. Besides, I kinda' deserved the butt whoopin' you gave me. You really DID teach me a lot there."

Jazz rubbed the back of his head, "I did?"

Although her voice took a more serious lilt, she still smiled, "Yep. I kept treating the exercise like a game. You reminded me you were trying to teach me how to stay alive. I won't forget that. Ever."

The black and white 'Bot breathed a sigh of relief; happy that she didn't hold a grudge against him, "Glad ya' think so. And about that…combat's all about split second decisions. Just let yer' instincts guide ya'. When the time comes, you'll know what to do."

By now, Kayla's face was totally pink; amazed at the faith he had in her. Likewise, Jazz was blushing, but for a very different reason. Gazing into her pale blue optics, not quite so hidden behind an equally blue visor, he just couldn't help himself anymore. Slowly, but surely, he sat closer-wondering what the red head would think, but deciding to just go for it.

And somehow, said girl sensed what he was up to, and despite being blind, she closed her optics anyway. For a moment, the Porsche hesitated; shocked she was letting him do this…before closing his optics as well. Cheeks burning; sparks racing, the two Autobots leaned forward…their lips almost touching…

…when suddenly, there came a sharp knock at the door.

The two jumped at the noise; both trying to hide their disappointment as they wondered who it was. Clearing his throat, Jazz sputtered, "Uh…come in."

The doors swished open, revealing a stoic Prowl. If he noticed how close the two musicians were sitting, he didn't say anything about it. Hands behind his back, he was all business as he reported, "Optimus Prime wants both of you to report to his office first thing tomorrow morning."

The saboteur didn't like the patrol car's tone. Whatever Prime wanted, it was major. Still, he dutifully nodded, "We'll be there."

Prowl gave a nod of his own, "Pleasant recharge." Glancing at the femme, he added, "Both of you." He then took his leave; the doors closing behind him.

Jazz paused, wondering if they should continue their…"business." But when he turned to Kayla, she was already lying down on the birth; twiddling her tiny guitar between her fingers again and looking none too happy. He sighed, getting the picture.

No point in continuing when the moment was shot.

.

.

.

In more ways than one, it was the longest walk Jazz and Kayla had ever taken in their lives.

From the moment both of them awoke, the air was tense. The other Autobots carried on like normal, but it was still painfully obvious in their voices that they knew something big was about to go down. Their worried stares and mutters of "good luck" carried both musicians down the long hallway leading to Optimus Prime's office. They each had made the long hike plenty of times before, but today was different. Jazz wouldn't be talking to Optimus, his best friend. Kayla wouldn't be talking to Optimus, her father figure.

They would both be talking to Optimus-commander and leader of the Autobots…and what they would be talking ABOUT, somehow, the femme already knew.

When both music connoisseurs arrived at the double doors, the girl took a deep breath. The Porsche, in turn, took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it, whispering, "It'll be okay."

She tried to smile, but her optics couldn't hide her "for all our sakes, I hope you're right" look. Shoulders squaring up, the two braced themselves as the doors slid open; preparing for the worst.

Turns out, the two would have company. Wheeljack was already in the office, and he gave a solemn nod as the musicians entered. Jazz wasn't at all surprised; it only confirmed his suspicion of the purpose of the meeting. Quickly, he mumbled to Kayla under his breath, so she knew of the Lancia's presence-she was none too shocked either.

All the while, Optimus sat at his desk; his back to the trio. It was a rarity for the leader to not face his friends and troops, to which, they figured he was merely contemplating how to begin his discussion. Minutes seemed like hours, but at long last, he let out a sigh and swiveled around to stare into the faces of two of his closest comrades, and a girl who he prayed wasn't losing her humanity. Like many times before, the saboteur felt sorry for his boss and all the pressure being put on him. A young body like Prime's shouldn't have had optics so old.

The red head shifted uncomfortably on her feet. If there was one thing she was absolutely scared of, it was total silence. The truck made no sound, so she couldn't place his exact position, or more importantly, his mood. Was he sad? Confused? Angry? She didn't know, and she didn't like not having a comeback ready for whatever emotion might be thrown at her.

And then, quite suddenly, Optimus spoke.

"I gather you three already have a decent hunch as to why I called you here, so we needn't waste any time", Prime didn't just break the ice-he crushed it, "I know about the incident in the training room."

The saboteur stood ramrod straight as Optimus narrowed his optics; this was NOT going to be pretty.

"The security cameras don't lie", the leader had his hands folded on the desk, but he was anything but relaxed, "But people can, especially when it comes to talking about the events leading up to it. I want to know who's idea it was."

The red head felt like a twelve year old being sent to the principal's office for starting a fight…which is pretty much exactly what she did. Sighing, she stepped forward; bracing herself for the lecture to come, "Sir, I…"

But the Porsche cut her off; jumping in front of her as if she were about to be attacked, "It was all my fault, Prime."

Kayla's optics widened. The last thing she wanted was for her friends to take the blame for her actions, "Jazz, don't…"

He held his hands up to quiet her; momentarily forgetting she couldn't see his movements, "It was all supposed to just be an experiment ta' see if the armor had given Kayla any new abilities at all, and ta' teach her how to defend herself."

"Experiment?" Optimus asked. His gaze shifted to Wheeljack; the explanation sounded more like something the scientist would say, not the musician.

The Lancia took the hint, "I was just takin' notes. I thought the exercise would help me find out how to change her back." He shrugged, matter of factly, in the hopes he'd appear more innocent.

The femme had enough. She stepped forward; a hand on her heart…or was it her spark now? "The whole thing was my idea, sir. I just wanted to learn how to fight, and I asked Jazz to teach me." She cringed at her own words as she thought back on the previous morning. "Forced" or "pleaded with" was more like it. Never the less, she pressed forward, "If you wanna' blame someone, blame me."

Prime let out a breath he was holding; rubbing his forehead in frustration, "I have the right of mind to scold ALL of you." He looked to his official officers, "Sadly, but especially you, Jazz. Wheeljack. Both of you knew better than to try and train Kayla without my consent. Even if it was her idea, you knew the risks in agreeing to it. And you just sat and watched. The others included."

Hoping to save her friends from punishment, the girl quickly spat out, "Well, Jazz and 'Jack are their superiors. They just figured if we were doing it, you okayed it too."

The 18-wheeler actually considered her words for a moment, then folded his arms, "Even so, I'm still very disappointed. We're treading on tense ground as it is; we don't need incidents like this fueling the fire even more."

The whole time he spoke, Kayla's optics were lined with worry. She wondered just how much of the tape he had watched. Was he even half-interested in the power she displayed? Finally, she dared to ask the question, "But Prime, when we were sparring, some kind of defense mechanism got triggered. I was able to blast out music, just like Jazz."

The leader nodded, "I saw that, yes."

"Then doesn't that prove I can be like you guys?" she shrugged; growing more impatient.

But Optimus was already shaking his head, "The only thing it proves is that you have power. Using it properly is another entity entirely. And in any case, we're still working to turn you human again. If I can help it, I don't want you involved in our war; at least, not on a level like this."

The femme threw her arms open, utterly flabbergasted, "I've already been involved for years now!" Cheeks flushing, she motioned to her body, "Now I look like this. What's the difference?!"

Out of habit, the red and blue truck rose from his chair; standing to full height to tower over the tiny femme. But quickly, he realized why the girl was so headstrong. She was never intimidated by body language simply because she couldn't see it. But there WERE other methods of getting the message across that he was still in charge. Voice rising, his words rolled out like angry thunder, "It makes ALL the difference because you've been granted a power you never should've gotten."

Although still mad, the red head had the common sense to know you shouldn't make Optimus angry. Trying to keep her temper in check, her tone became softer, but still tense, "It was an accident."

But Prime knew that one sentence wouldn't wipe away the problem, "And it was an accident that could've easily been prevented if Wheeljack had followed my orders and not continued the experiment. He's the only one who has half a sense as to how that pendant works, and most likely, the only one that can change you back. It's one of the only reasons he hasn't been stripped of duty."

Both Jazz and Kayla's optics widened at the revelation. They didn't think the leader would do something so drastic. The girl's head lowered a tad; feeling guilty for her friend's punishment. Meanwhile, the Porsche glanced over at the Lancia; waiting for a defense to explode out of him. But the scientist remained stoic, offering no clue as to what he was thinking. He and Prime, most likely, had previously discussed the matter, resulting in his lack of shock. And judging by how he looked at the femme in sadness, maybe he felt he deserved to be discharged.

Optimus gazed at Kayla for a long moment, who was clearly trying to keep from either screaming or crying. He took a deep breath; choosing his words carefully. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to perceive him as the bad guy. She had put her trust in him for so long, he didn't wish for the bubble to break. He just wanted her to see things from his perspective.

Finally, he sat back down; his voice calmer than before, "Please…I'm very sorry…for all of you. You have to realize this whole fiasco is just as hard for me as it is for you. I've never dealt with a situation like this before, which makes it difficult for me to act accordingly." He then turned to the femme, "Kayla…when I first met your mother, I made a promise to her that as long as you stayed with us, you would be safe. Suffice it to say, I've broken that promise. But no matter what your form is now, I'm responsible for your protection. We all just want to do what's best for you."

The three mechs stared at the femme, trying to gauge her reaction. Her expression held a mix between tears for Prime's concern, and pent up frustration, for reasons she was about to voice. Face turning beet red, she finally let it all come out.

"You and my mom are both the same! Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't fight! Why does everyone treat me like I can't take care of myself?!" she yelled.

Jazz moved to put a hand on her shoulder, "Relax, Kay; we're not sayin' that."

But the girl brushed his hand away; her anger and hurt directed at the 18-wheeler, "You're always saying that freedom is the right of all sentient beings, right? Well, as a sentient being, I'm requesting my freedom to choose what I wanna' do. If I wanna' join the war, then you should honor that right."

Optimus sat in disbelief. She had called him out on his own words and was making him eat them. His optics narrowed, but this time, not in anger, for the femme DID have a valid point. He had no right to determine what she did in her life. It was just frustrating that THIS is what she was choosing-a life of war, loss, and thankless tasks.

Hoping to change her mind, he mumbled, "I never wanted humans in the battlefield."

Energon tears beginning to roll down her metal cheeks, Kayla choked, "…well I'm not human anymore."

She then turned on her heel and stormed out of the office, and the mechs made no attempt to stop her. There was a long silence between the three of them, before Jazz finally spoke, "What now?"

Over a dozen questions floated in the air, but the Porsche's two little words summed them all up perfectly. With a sigh, Prime answered, "We continue to try and change her back."

Both his comrades nodded; caring less about the future of their own careers. Wheeljack then added in-his tone more than awkward, "So…has her mom called at all?"

Optimus gave a solemn nod, "She's coming tomorrow."

.

.

.

With a few helpful pointers from the passerby, Jazz found Kayla sitting by herself at a table in the back corner of the lounge. Arms folded, she rested her head on them like a makeshift pillow; absentmindedly swinging one leg. He made his way over and sat down beside her, to which she lifted her head up at the noise.

"Just me", he replied.

She put her head back down, but this time, the other way, so she was facing him. When she stayed silent, he asked, "You okay?"

She shrugged, "Just a little weak. These liquid meals aren't very filling." She poked at the spot on her arm where Ratchet inserted the needle to feed her. Her optics held a twinge of guilt as she added, "I "ate" all the food that was left. Sparkplug went out to get more."

The Porsche could tell this wasn't the only thing on her mind. But he decided to let her explain at her own pace. His patience paid off when she exhaled a deep sigh, "…is Optimus mad at me?"

To that, the Autobot actually smirked, "I think he was more surprised than mad…maybe even impressed a bit."

The femme's head came back up, "Really?"

"Ya' never let anyone boss ya' around. Not even an actual boss", he chuckled, "That's one thing 'bout ya' that hasn't changed."

The girl couldn't help but smile. Soon, however, her depressed face shone through again. The saboteur edged closer, "Whatcha' thinkin' 'bout?"

A long pause, and she finally muttered, "…my mom's gonna' be here in the next few hours." Turning so she'd be facing him, he took note of her scared expression. "What am I gonna' tell her?"

"Try the truth", the Porsche said it as if it were that simple, "That's all ya' CAN do now."

If it were still possible, a bead of nervous sweat would've trickled down her forehead. As the femme pondered her predicament, Jazz glanced around to suddenly notice that Wheeljack was sitting a few tables away from them. No doubt he had to clear his CPU as well. He had a cube of bright pink energon before him, but he didn't drink a single drop of it. Instead, he just stared at it as if it were poison. He was also by himself, and it was obvious why no one dared to go over, other than from the sad vibes he was giving off. For the past few days, the saboteur began to notice how most mechs seemed a bit abrasive around the scientist. The poor guy went from being the center of the social circle to someone that no one wanted to even acknowledge existed. And all because one accident caused ten times more pains than gains. Everyone was working double duty now to rebuild the Ark after the Decepticon invasion, and suffice it to say, Jazz could sense a powder keg about to explode.

The matches for said keg came in the forms of Brawn and Cliffjumper. The two Minibots dragged themselves over to the energon dispenser, looking like they just went ten rounds with Starscream. Their grumbling could clearly be heard across the lounge, and it was almost as if they WANTED everyone to hear their conversation.

"How come you didn't make it to our sparring match last night?" Brawn asked.

"I couldn't", Cliff's optic twitched, "I had to help Skyfire fix some circuits in Teletraan-One. Then I had my patrol shift. And THEN I had to get supplies to rebuild one of the labs." He took a large gulp of his drink and shot the Lancia a glare that could pierce diamond, "That should be Wheeljack's job."

"I get ya'," Brawn nodded; adding fuel to the fire, "We've all had to sacrifice our free time. This is the first real break I've gotten in solar cycles." He leaned his head towards the scientist; voice rising, "It's a shame we have to do ALL these repairs because of one glitch head."

The inventor refused to look up; pretending he was invisible.

That didn't stop the red Minibot from continuing his spitting remarks, "Don't I know it." He raised his voice even louder than Brawn, "Maybe if SOMEONE had listened to Prime in the first place, instead of being a selfish know-it-all, this wouldn't have happened!"

The Lancia couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his hands down on the table and pushed himself to his feet in one swoop. The resulting loud bang caused everyone else's heads to turn at the commotion. There was a tense pause, and those gathered froze at the deadly look the scientist was giving his bullies.

Jazz just shook his head; here comes the explosion.

"Listen", Wheeljack's words were quick, to the point, and underlined with a trace of frustration, "I get it. I screwed up. I take full responsibility for what happened. And you have every right to be angry." He jabbed a finger at the Minibots, "But I'm NOT gonna' sit here and take insults from mechs who get their kicks out of picking fights! Especially when I've been TRYING my absolute hardest to undo what I've done!"

"Oh yeah, and you've been doing a great job with THAT", Cliff rolled his optics with nothing short of sarcasm, "You're just a show off who's too embarrassed to admit you've found a problem you can't fix!"

The scientist threw his hands in the air, "You don't think I feel guilty for what I've done?! For the pain I've put her through?!" He pointed at Kayla, who was beginning to stand up.

"And what about the rest of US?" Brawn snapped; hands clenching into fists, "We're all having to clean up after the mess YOU made!"

"Face it!" the red minibot took a step closer; optics in a rage, "You might as well join the Decepticons because you're nothin' but a failure!"

_SMACK!_

The action was so fast, it wasn't until seconds later that everyone watching finally realized what happened. One moment, Cliff was yelling, and the next, he found himself lying on the floor; feet in the air, and people gasping. Shock wearing off, it registered in his CPU.

Wheeljack had smacked him…right across the face…with all the force of a sucker punch.

The scientist's optics were glazed over with a fury no one imagined could come from him. Shoulders arched and fists shaking, it took every ounce of his strength to stand his ground, instead of taking all his anger out on Cliff, who was still seeing stars.

But Brawn wasn't going to wait for his friend to recover, "You son of a glitch!"

The Minibot sprang up at lightning speed; optics narrowed, and fists ready to pummel the Lancia into the center of the Earth.

But he screeched to a halt when an aqua/orange blur jumped in front of him. Looking up, he stared into the robotized Kayla's determined face; arms outstretched in protection.

"Get out of my way", he growled.

But the girl stood her ground; optics daring him to hit her. By then, Cliffjumper regained his footing, and both Minibots were more than ready to pile drive past her. But the plan was nixed when Jazz marched up next to the femme-his tone taking on a dangerous edge, "Lay one finger on her, an' I'll make you regret it for the rest of yer' lives."

"I don't feel like playin' red rover with you", the red 'Bot spat, "Stay outta' this."

"Not when you start threatening people, I won't", Kayla remarked with her signature tone that made it clear she wasn't backing down for no one.

"But he hit me first!" Cliff pointed at the scientist peeking over the red head's shoulder.

The girl nodded, "And if it were me, I probably would've done it sooner."

And by the silence from the Autobots watching the argument, there was no disagreement.

"You can't be serious!" Brawn yelled in utter outrage, "He's the one who turned you into a robot! You, of all people, should be the most angry at him! Why the frag are you protecting him?!"

Although the minibot's tone left something to be desired, he DID have a point. All optics were now on the femme; most importantly, Wheeljack's. He couldn't help but be completely puzzled as to why he was being defended by the person he hurt the most.

The girl was used to speaking in front of crowds; part of being a musician and all. And yet, at that moment, a knot formed in her stomach. Her feelings on the whole situation was nothing short of a roller coaster ride; how was she to explain herself so suddenly? Realizing how eerily quiet the room became, she made a decision. She'd let her spark…no, her heart, do the talking.

"Because…I forgive him."

Gasps were clearly being covered up. Bodies froze and optics widened. And behind his mouth plate, Wheeljack's jaw went slack in shock.

He wasn't the only one, as all Cliffjumper could utter was, "What?!"

The femme finally felt it safe to let her arms drop, "He…he made a mistake." The girl was amazed at how all the words just started pouring out, "This whole thing was an accident. A bad accident, but an accident none the less. And we shouldn't hold it against him forever, especially since he's been trying hard to fix it."

The red minibot couldn't believe his audios, "But-"

"Cliff…please", the red head let out a breath of exasperation, "Just let it go. We can't go back and undo what happened. We just have to deal with what's going on right now." There was a long pause as she considered what she was about to say next. But she had to let it out, "I…I've accepted this change…and it's not worth being angry about anymore."

And then, what she did next startled everyone.

She turned on her heel…and pulled Wheeljack into a hug.

After all the torment the scientist was put through; both from his guilt and from his comrades, she knew he needed this. He had to know she wasn't angry anymore. And she didn't care what anyone else thought.

For the first time, the inventor felt his spark lift. Even if everyone else would hate him forever, if the one person he affected the most was okay, then he was okay. Still, he stood in utter bewilderment, wondering if this was real or not. But finally, he returned the hug, and resisted the urge to shed an energon tear as he murmured, "I'm so sorry."

To his surprise, Kayla smirked, "I know…and I forgive you."

Jazz couldn't help but smile as well, feeling the tension sweeping away with every passing second. Judging by the crowd's relieved expressions, they felt it too. At long last, the argument was put to rest.

For the most part anyway. Cliffjumper resigned to just folding his arms and shaking his head in frustration, "I still don't get it."

Kayla let go of the Lancia so she could face the one who started the fight to begin with, "It's called being human. Something that I thought I wasn't anymore…but now I realize I still am, no matter what."

The saboteur gave her a thumbs up, "Couldn't a' said it better myself, Kay."

A few onlookers nodded in agreement; forgetting she couldn't see them. It was then the Porsche noticed the odd expression that had come over the scientist's face, "You okay, man?"

The Lancia didn't respond-too lost in the epiphany he was beginning to have. The femme noticed the silence as well and turned, "What's wrong, 'Jack?"

By then, his headfins were glowing a bright white. He literally got an idea bulb. All he mumbled was, "Being human…realize you're human…that's it."

He gently pushed past his protectors and began pacing around-a clear indicator he was having a brain blast. But the two musicians weren't, and Jazz gave voice to it, "What's it? What're ya' thinkin' now?"

The inventor swiveled on his heel and took both the Porsche and the femme by the shoulders; optics alight with new inspiration, "I think I just got one more idea."

.

.

.

Kayla and Jazz somehow found themselves back in Wheeljack's lab; dragged there by the scientist's never ending mumbling. The two musicians merely stood in stoic confusion as the Lancia circled around them like an excited puppy. Finally, the Porsche threw an arm out and took his friend by the shoulder, "Alright, man, ya' made us come all the way here. Now what's got yer' CPU all in a fritz?"

'Jack spun around, looking like his old self again…that is to say, crazy, "I'm such a slag head. It's like that movie we watched with that girl with the red shoes."

The femme cocked her head; comprehension dawning, "The Wizard of Oz?"

"Yeah, that's it", the scientist nodded, "Why didn't I think of this before? I've been trying so much stuff, and the solution was right in front of me!"

"What're you talking about?" the girl merely grew more puzzled, "Could you please start talking sense!"

Suddenly, the Lancia grabbed the red head's arms; shaking her, "YOU! It's up to you!"

She brushed away his hands to stop his excessive shaking, "What's up to me? What do you mean?"

At long last, Wheeljack took a deep breath to calm himself down, "Okay, remember the other day, when you activated the armor's defense mode?"

Jazz rolled his optics, "How could someone NOT remember?"

Ignoring the Porsche's snappy remark, the inventor pressed onward, "Whatever. Anyway, you said right before it started, you were thinking about a weapon, right?"

The femme took a moment to think back; trying to make sense of the craziness of yesterday. Finally, she shrugged, "Um…I think so, yeah. And?"

"Well, don't you see?!" 'Jack flailed his arms in exasperation, "That's it! You thought about a weapon and you got one! And when you thought about stopping it, it turned off!"

There was a small silence…and just then, Kayla's optics lit up as realization dawned, "Oh…I see what you're getting at!"

"I don't", the saboteur crossed his arms.

She turned in his general direction; a huge smile spread across her face as new hope filled her heart, "He means that this armor is controlled by thought. If I wanna' take it off, I'm gonna' have to will it off." She faced the scientist for confirmation, "…right?"

Said Lancia nodded-tone going serious again, "I've examined every possible angle, theory, and test I did on you. I honestly don't see any other way." Optics lowering to the floor, he added in a solemn tone, "…it's our last option."

The Porsche could only stare at his friend, utterly dumbfounded, "So, you're tellin' me that this whole time, all she had to do was think real hard, and it woulda' came right off?!"

Wheeljack merely gave a sheepish shrug. Jazz slapped his forehead, "Do ya' really think this is gonna' work?"

A look of determination crossed Kayla's face, and she nodded to both of them, "It's worth a try."

With those four words, the matter was settled. If this didn't work, then nothing would.

Slowly, the femme shut her optics and took a deep breath; trying to gather all her thoughts for the task at hand. Both Jazz and Wheeljack took a step back to give her some breathing room. A moment or so went by, before her frown deepened, "What should I think about? I mean, I can't see what I look like, so I can't exactly visualize…"

"Just try to remember anything and everything from when you were human", the scientist offered, "Feel your desire to change back and concentrate on that."

The girl nodded, and resumed thinking. She thought back to when she and Jazz first met; how tiny she felt being cupped in his hands. If only she could go back and tell herself of all the craziness in store for her…and how she wouldn't regret a single day of it-robot or not. She thought about playing guitar; about Scratch and his music store; hanging out with Spike and the gang…even the most mundane things like eating breakfast at the table and getting dressed. Little things that sounded so precious now.

And yet, nothing happened.

"Feelin' any different?" Jazz broke the silence.

Kayla shook her head.

"Just keep tryin'," Wheeljack could only keep her hopes up, "Think harder than you've ever thought before."

By then, the femme's face was turning flush from squeezing her optics so tightly. She chanted in her mind over and over, "Be human…be HUMAN. Change back…change BACK."

A full minute went by. Nothing.

Finally, the girl had to pause to rest. Although she hadn't moved, she panted as if she'd run a marathon. Shoulders sagging, her optics filled with sorrow-a clear indicator of a hope being scattered to the wind, "Sorry guys…"

Jazz sighed-patting her on the back. 'Jack shook his head, "It was worth a shot…"

The trio could only stand there; too wracked with complete and utter disappointment. They were all so sure it was going to work-to have one last glimmer of hope diminished was just sickening. The red head especially tried hard not to cry. For her, it was the final nail in the coffin.

That was, until the laboratory doors suddenly swished open…

…to reveal a very wide-eyed and very much shocked mother.

The two Autobots visibly jumped; not expecting the woman to appear and catch her daughter looking the way she did. Mrs. Matthews stared up at the femme; face depicting nothing but pure horror, and all she could squeak out was:

"…Kayla…?!"

The utterance of that one name made the femme swivel; voice laced with intense fear.

"Mom?!"

And then, at that very moment, a bright flash emitted from her chest, and a blinding red light engulfed the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Since this chapter's covering an entire week, I had to rely on alot of jump cuts. Explaining the eating thing was tricky, and this was the only semi-logical explanation I could come up with. Thankfully, the rest of the tech was easier to hammer out. So, Kayla's new Autobot powers show themselves, but there's an obvious difference in having powers and knowing how to use them. (S.O.S. was the first song that popped in my head, so I used it.) But I also thought it was a good time to flesh out Jazz's background a bit more too. It's not often we see him go into full command mode, so this seemed like the most appropriate time, especially dealing with something as serious as keeping yourself alive. 
> 
> I know Optimus seemed pretty harsh, but hopefully, I was able to get across why he was like that. I mean, Wheeljack turned Kayla into a robot-you can't take that lightly.
> 
> But I still felt bad for Jack-he learns the hard way that sometimes, the worst possible mistakes are made with the best intentions. And despite the accident, Kayla's not the type to hold a grudge. 
> 
> But now, we're about to find out if her mother's just as forgiving... 
> 
> Also, if you're wondering where the Decepticons have been at this whole time, you'll soon get your answer...


	8. Chapter 8

Unlike the first experience, which was nothing short of painful and terrifying, a sense of pure calm and relief swept over the musician. One by one, she could feel enormous weights being lifted off her body, and a hot flash hit her like the warmth of a summer breeze.

At long last, the light dimmed, and everyone present opened their eyes and optics. Standing before them was Kayla; very much in one piece, and very much human.

All Jazz and Wheeljack could do was stare; jaws open and optics wide. But finally, the scientist literally jumped in the air; fist raised to the ceiling as he cried out, "It worked! It really worked! She's human again! Thank Primus!"

He then bolted out of the lab; the doors closing behind him. But even then, his excited cries of their success could be heard all across the Ark. Jazz, on the other hand, kneeled down to give his friend a closer inspection. Her red hair, her pale blue eyes, even her sunglasses and clothes-all looking just as she did before the transformation. However, she appeared to be in a state of shock, which made the Porsche nervous, "Kayla…ya' alright?"

The girl blinked; wobbling a bit as she tried to get her bearings. Her hands carefully and cautiously maneuvered around her body-feeling everything. She gasped when her fingers brushed soft cotton instead of clunky iron. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt warm, squishy skin, and not cold metal. And a tear escaped her when she ran a hand through silky hair strands and not wires. It was then she realized Jazz's voice came from above her and not in front of her, to which, she choked out, "…am I…am I human?"

A grin spread across the saboteur's face, and he nodded, "Yeah, Kay…you're human again."

An indescribable, insurmountable sense of utter and pure relief washed over every fiber of Kayla's being. More tears-real, human tears, burst from her eyes-EYES, not optics, and she felt like screaming and jumping for joy.

She most likely would have, had a person not suddenly engulfed her in a bone crushing hug, and she suddenly remembered her mom was in the room.

And her mom had witnessed everything.

Mrs. Matthews had her face buried in her daughter's shoulder; heaving heavy sobs. She gripped the red head like her life depended on it-gasping out, "I was so worried about you! Are you alright?!" She took her child's head in her hands; staring her in the face as if she might disappear, "What in God's name did they do to you?!"

The musician gently pushed her mother away; not breaking the hug, but enough to give them some breathing room, "Mom, relax. I'm fine." Her tone made it sound as if being turned into a robot was no big deal, and she hoped said coolness would calm her mom. All the while, she silently cursed her bad luck. Of all the times for the armor to finally come off, why'd it have to be right when her mom was walking in? If only it'd happened just a few seconds earlier, she would've missed it, and the girl wouldn't have to deal with this major freak out.

Mrs. Matthews' face flushed red-a clear sign she wasn't leaving without a straight answer, "Like hell if I'm going to buy that! Is this why you never came home? What the heck's been going on?!" Her eyes twinged with horror, "Have they been experimenting on you?!"

Kayla had been shocked silent due to the sudden interrogation, but the last sentence made her noticeably squirm. There was no way she could lie her way out of this one. Her mind began to race of where to possibly begin explaining. When a tense silence finally passed between them, she decided to begin with a question of her own.

"Um, Mom?" she nervously rubbed the back of her head, "How did you get here?"

The simple inquiry jogged Jazz's memory. Mrs. Matthews didn't drive, and she had never visited the Ark before. So, how DID she suddenly storm into the lab? His thoughts were broken when the doors opened, and everyone turned to see Sideswipe standing in the doorway. Right away, the red Lamborghini noticed Kayla's scared expression, and her mom's angry glare. He looked nothing short of guilty as he mumbled, "Um…I brought her here. Optimus sent me to get her."

His tone was completely apologetic toward the guitarist, to which, she silently nodded; giving him an "it's not your fault" look. He then stepped all the way in; immediately heading for the saboteur, who rose to his height. Said Porsche leaned in-looking ready to give him a mouthful, when the Lambo quickly whispered, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I DID try to stall for time; took her around the block a few times. But she caught on to what I was doing and…"

"Okay, okay, I get it", Jazz calmed him down, "Thanks for tryin'."

The low key conversation was abruptly cut off when Mrs. Matthews cleared her throat. Both mechs looked down to see the human tapping her foot; eyebrow raised-mouth a thin line, "None of you still haven't explained to me what's going on. And I'm not leaving 'till I get an explanation."

The musician turned in the direction of her friends; giving a limp shrug. Jazz, in turn, heaved a deep sigh-it was now or never. Hesitantly, he replied:

"I think it's time to call a team meetin'."

.

.

.

It wasn't long before Optimus Prime arrived in the lab, followed closely by Wheeljack. A dozen or so more Autobots crowded the doorway-wanting to sneak a peek at Kayla; making sure that 'Jack's excited outbursts were true. But Prime promptly shut the door; insisting on privacy. He fully understood the eggshells they were walking on with the red head's mom, and the last thing the woman needed was a crowd of rowdy mechs asking questions. Turning, he caught the mother's eye, who shot him an acidic glare. He put on his best poker face, but couldn't help but be thrown at such an angry stare coming from the human. It was a stare he'd never seen from her before, and he realized this conversation wasn't going to be a cake walk.

The mechs offered to place both women on a table, where they'd be at eye level with the 'Bots, but the mother refused, preferring to be on the ground. Jazz's spark was pounding in apprehension. Even though she was no taller than their feet, she still seemed to be the tallest in the room in spirit. Kayla felt it too, as attested by how nervous she looked. After a few false starts, the girl finally spilled out the entire story. Wheeljack's presentation, the Decepticon invasion, the accident, the transformation, the week as an Autobot, and how she almost didn't change back. She tried her absolute best to downplay the seriousness of certain events, like the attack on the Ark, and emphasized the more positive, like her training and how she wasn't physically harmed all that much. All the while, her mom merely listened; offering no hint as to what she was thinking-judging by her stone hard expression. But it was clear in her eyes she knew her daughter wasn't telling her everything. Not lying, but holding certain things back so it sounded more like a Saturday morning cartoon.

Her story finished, Kayla could only shrug and mumble, "And…that's what happened…"

A very tense silence finally fell upon the lab, and the girl bit her lip-fearful of her mother's reaction. But surprisingly, the woman still said nothing; her eyes glazing over as she let the story sink in to try and make sense of it all. With each passing second, the saboteur grew increasingly nervous, so, at long last, he broke the ice.

"What I still don't get", he scratched his head, "is how the pendant finally worked. I mean, we were on the verge of givin' up 'till her mom showed up. Then bang: she's normal again."

Wheeljack folded his arms as he explained, "I'm startin' to theorize that the pendant not only reacts to thought patterns, but emotions too. When her mom came, she must've gotten so surprised, it was the final boost she needed to activate the off switch."

"So…she was literally scared out of the armor?" the Porsche couldn't help but chuckle.

Said mom, however, wasn't laughing. Noticing this, Jazz quickly added in, "Well…at least she's okay now, right?"

He put on his biggest smile; trying anything to lift the mood. But one dagger-glare from Mrs. Matthews put that effort in its grave. Cheeks blushing, smile gone, the mech lowered his head.

However, Optimus had a more important question, "Speaking of the pendant, where is it?"

The Lancia rubbed the back of his head; embarrassed to be looking foolish again, "I have no idea. That energy burst was so huge, it could be anywhere. I looked all around, but couldn't find it." He stared his leader in the optic as he continued, "But as soon as we find it, I'll destroy it. I promise."

Prime nodded to him in confirmation. The way the scientist looked at him, and spoke with such conviction, he had no doubt this time that the Lancia aimed to keep that promise.

Suddenly, the mother let out an audible huff. The three mechs looked down to see the woman had her arms folded; back turned to them all. When no one said anything, she broke the silence.

"I promise…" her tone was anything but kind, "…those words seem to be thrown around a lot lately…"

The Autobots were more than put off at how she blatantly spoke up, after staying quiet for so long. Jazz made a move to say something, but Optimus stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and a quick shake of the head. The leader could tell the human was about to speak her mind, and if there was any chance of salvaging their friendship, it lied in just letting her sound off.

Mrs. Matthews still kept her back to the group, but none the less, her words were firm, "I promise to always be there for you. I promise I won't be gone for a while. I promise I won't lie to you. I promise no one will get hurt. All of you tack on those words without thinking how important they are."

Kayla instantly sensed a storm coming on. She knew the Autobots better, and knew they always tried their best. She didn't want her mom to think the wrong ideas. She started, "Mom…"

But just then, the mother swiveled around to face her daughter. Her face was flushed; tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. But her voice only quivered slightly as she spat, "You lied to me, Kayla. You said you were safe, and you weren't." She motioned to the mechs standing across from her, "These…people…" the word sounded venomous coming from her mouth, "transformed you, and you hid it from me. You DON'T lie to me. EVER."

With each sentence, the musician felt another sting at her heart. She hated to keep such a big secret from her mom. She just didn't want her to flip out like she was doing right now. She WAS truly sorry for what she did, and wanted to give voice to it.

But her older counterpart didn't give her the chance. The woman had already turned to glare at Wheeljack; pointing an accusing finger at him, "And YOU. What you did to her, it's…" She gritted her teeth, trying to find the right words, "I don't even know what to think of all this! It's…" Disturbing? Insane? Unethical? She finally settled with, "Unbelievable! What you did is unforgivable!"

The Lancia noticeably flinched, feeling even more guilty than before. His head fins took on a sad, blue color. He was about to apologize, when the girl beat him to the punch, "But I forgave…"

Her mom cut her off, "Stop. Just stop." She rubbed her eyes in aggravation, "Whatever it is, it doesn't matter."

The red head's initial sadness quickly turned to anger. Why couldn't her mother just hear them out for two seconds? When there came a pause, she took her chance and spoke quickly, "Mom, I'm okay now! I'm back to normal, so what's the difference? We know how the thing works now, so we'll know better next time."

Mrs. Matthews advanced on her-face growing even redder as she yelled, "There isn't going to BE a next time!"

Her daughter let out a tiny gasp, dreading where this argument was headed. More and more, her fears were confirmed when her mom practically ordered, "Go get your things."

The musician's eyes narrowed; the sign of a challenge. She planted one foot down, and her shoulders tensed-signaling she wasn't leaving without a fight, "They're in Jazz's room."

But this time, the mother wasn't going to get caught in one of her daughter's loopholes. She knew Kayla would use that chance to either run away, or regroup to form a counter speech. Determined to not give her that chance, the woman faced Jazz. He blinked in surprise when she pointed at him, "Go get her stuff. Then you're going to drop us off in town. A bus can take us the rest of the way." She then grabbed her daughter by the wrist, "Hell, we'll WALK if we have to."

Finally fed up, Kayla wrestled out of her grasp, "For pete's sake, calm down!"

But the woman spun on her daughter, and grabbed her by the shoulders. Even though their faces were mere inches away, the mother made no effort to lower her voice, "How can I possibly be calm after what they did to you?! You're a human being, not some science experiment!"

"You don't understand!" the red head shot back.

Her mom shook her in frustration, "No, YOU don't understand! This is exactly what I warned you about, and you didn't listen! You never listen to me!"

The girl broke free from her mom's grasp; hands balling into fists, "Well maybe if you acknowledged the fact that I don't need to be doted on all the time…!"

"I don't want to hear it, Kayla", Mrs. Matthews interrupted, "We've had this argument too many times, and it's ending now. From now on, you're going to listen to me, whether you like it or not. We're leaving…and we're not coming back."

Those last three words stabbed straight through Kayla's heart like a knife. Instantly, whatever anger that remained on her face was replaced with horror. Her tone noticeably dropped as she muttered, "What do you mean, "not coming back"?"

The mother's eyes narrowed and she folded her arms. Deep down, she never wanted it to come to this…but seeing no other choice, she sighed, "I mean, you're coming home…for good. As of right now, you're forbidden from seeing the Autobots. You're not going to talk to them, or be around them, or interact with them, in ANY way, EVER again."

The dead silence that came afterwards was deafening. Wheeljack sighed and turned away. Somehow, he'd anticipated this outcome, and it was all his fault. Optimus' shoulders slumped, out of guilt for letting the woman down so harshly. But as for Jazz, his optics widened in shock, and his spark sank to the lowest point he'd ever felt in his life. He was about to lose his best friend, and there was nothing he could do about it, because he knew whatever he was thinking of doing would only make things worse.

For a moment, the musician couldn't believe what she just heard. But the Autobots had been their friends for years, and now it was all being brought to an end? Just like that?! This wasn't happening…it just couldn't!

Tears began rolling down her cheeks, "But…they're my friends…"

Her sobs became more desperate when her mom stayed quiet-the painful silence did all the talking. Realizing there'd be no reasoning with her mother, the girl finally broke down and began to cry. She wanted so badly to hit something, or run away, or suddenly have the power to turn back the clock and reverse everything-to do ANYthing. But she couldn't-she knew it was pointless, so she settled on letting her anger and heartbreak pour out in her tears.

The saboteur couldn't stand to see his friend so upset. Instinctively, he moved in to pick her up, but he froze mid-grasp when Mrs. Matthews stepped in front of her daughter; preventing him from touching her. He gave her a hurt look-silently asking her why she'd think he'd do any harm to the girl. But the woman merely glared up at him; daring him to cross her. Her tone harsh and sharp, she repeated her words to him, "Go get her things."

His lips shrank to a thin line-a clear sign he was trying VERY hard to keep his frustration hidden. He turned to his leader for any kind of support. But the red and blue truck only nodded, as if to say "just do what she says." The Porsche then gave Kayla one more glance, before shuffling out of the lab. A few mechs were still hanging around the door, trying to listen in, and upon Jazz's reappearance, the questions started. He answered none of them; instead heading for his quarters. But he also made it a point to walk as slow as possible. He agreed to gather Kayla's belongings.

That didn't mean he was going to be quick about it.

.

.

.

A pair of double doors opened with a soft hiss, and Jazz slowly trotted into his quarters. Flicking the lights on, he leaned back against the doorframe and sighed; trying to gather his thoughts. The only image that kept coming to his CPU was the day he first brought Kayla home after their fight with the Decepticons. The look on her mother's face at seeing him lounging on their front lawn was priceless. And the way the woman stared at him then-so full of shock, but also awe and tenderness-quietly thanking him for bringing her daughter home safely. But now, the mother could only glare at him. He couldn't help but wonder if she had thought back to that day at all-had reconsidered her words. But from her angry yells, he realized a sensitive trust had been broken, and now there was no turning back.

His optics scanned the room, looking at everything and nothing at the same time. They eventually fell upon his desk…right where the girl had left her backpack, her cane, and her guitar. Neatly placed-in the same spot as always. For once, he actually cursed her tidiness. If he had to go on a scavenger hunt for her things, it meant she got to stay longer. Finally, he released a heavy sigh-sure, he was stalling…but in a way, he was just making the red head suffer longer too. He was only delaying the inevitable; in that case, maybe he should've picked up the pace.

One by one, he plucked the articles from the desktop; being extra careful so as not to damage them. With each one that landed in his palm, a memory came back to him. Like the first time she had ever visited his quarters, and how excited she was at the gargantuan stereo system. The two danced for hours, and he laughed at how Ratchet came banging on the door, complaining about the noise. Or the time that Sunstreaker cracked a joke about the red head's eyesight, and she proved her cane was for more than just walking when she whacked him in the ankle-sending him cursing.

But when he held her black and white guitar in his fingers, he'd never forget the time she first played a song on it. A special song, for everyone, to thank them for their kindness. Ironically, her instrument was a gift from Wheeljack…perhaps that little fact also had a hand in why she was so quick to forgive the scientist.

But now she was leaving. It pulled at his spark to think he wouldn't be making any more memories with her. But finally, he took a deep breath. He'd seen plenty of friends come and go; he'd have to accept this new change too. He knew things would never quite be the same without her…but he'd keep his chin up and stay strong…for her.

Slowly, and quietly, he left his quarters; carrying her things like a rare treasure…and praying to Primus that hopefully, someday, Kayla would return.

.

.

.

The red headed musician had first been introduced to a great number of the Autobots in the mess hall…she never thought that very place would also be where she'd be saying goodbye.

Upon receiving word of what happened in the lab, a great number of mechs arrived-some wondering if the rumors of her departure were a joke. But one glance at the girl's heartbroken expression told them it was true. They all formed a bit of a semi-circle around the red head, to give her some space (though it was also largely due to her mom insisting she stay a few feet away from the robots).

Speaking of whom, the mother had her arms folded; slightly turned away from the Autobots, and kept her eyes fixed on the floor. She knew she wasn't exactly the most popular person in the room at the moment, but she'd suffer through the glares if it meant her daughter's safety. Had they completely done it her way, they would've left immediately…but through her anger, she remembered these people WERE Kayla's friends. And up until that point, they DID take care of her…so, at the very least, they deserved a moment to say farewell.

The musician forced herself to keep her chin up; it'd only make things more wrenching to have a meltdown in front of them all. Naturally, she couldn't see who had turned up, but from what her sharp ears could make out, it was a fairly big number. Jazz was still gathering her belongings, and it was only a matter of time before he appeared. For once in her life, she wished he wasn't going to come, due to what he was bringing. But there was no stopping it. She took a deep breath and let the words fall out.

"I'm really sorry I have to leave you all like this. I never wanted our adventures to end." She folded her arms to keep from shaking, "And if it had to end, I didn't want it to be this way."

Everyone was so used to seeing Ratchet grumpy, it threw more than a few for a loop when he looked genuinely disappointed, "You don't have to be sorry for anything, dear. I hate to say it, but maybe it's for the better. You can have a normal job, and not have to worry about the Decepticons, or our war anymore." But his optics took on a longing expression as he added, "Still, I'm gonna' miss your music. Sometimes, I think it did more healing than any medicine or tool."

Kayla managed a tiny smile, "Thanks, Ratch."

From beside the ambulance, the Lambo twins both let out a groan. Sideswipe shook his head, "Slag, if we knew you'd be leavin' us so soon, we wouldn't have picked on ya' so much."

"It's okay, Sides", the girl shrugged, "I always liked your pranks."

"Total shame", Sunstreaker grumbled, "You're one of the few who actually helped us." He threw Ratchet a sly grin, "Looks like we'll just have to prank you overtime."

The doctor sucker punched the twin in the arm, making him rub the sore spot with an audible "ow." The girl couldn't help but chuckle. Even in the saddest times, the Twins could make her laugh. But her giggles were cut off when someone threw their arms around her neck in a bear hug. The sudden intrusion made a gasp escape her lips, but before she could ask who it was, a voice said, "I'm going to miss you."

Carly. At that point, Kayla was extremely thankful she was human again. Not just for the obvious reasons, but also that she could be at regular level with her fellow humans once more. The red head returned the hug, still trying to force a smile, "Isn't it funny? When we first met, it sounded like you were ready to rip my head off."

"I remember", the blonde replied with a sad laugh, "I thought you were moving in on Spike. Glad I realized you weren't, or I wouldn't have made my best gal pal." She then frowned, "Now I'm gonna' be all alone with the guys again."

"It's okay", the musician broke from the hug, "You'll be a better feminine touch around here than I ever was."

Carly then guided the red head over to Spike, who gave her an equally loving, but painful hug. Sparkplug joined in, and the two reminded her of how a battle was how they were first introduced. The girl smirked again, "Yeah…not exactly the best way to say hello, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Make sure 'Bee keeps up his driving skills."

"I will", the yellow Beetle who'd been standing behind the father-son duo replied.

Finally, Chip rolled himself between Spike and Sparkplug and tugged at the musician's hand. Father and son let the girl go, and the red head allowed herself to be pulled down so she could embrace him. Being confined to a wheelchair made the hug awkward, but it made no difference. The young man practically  had her sitting in his lap as he stuttered, "Stay safe, okay?"

"I'll be alright", she patted his hands, "You do the same." She wanted to say more; wanted to tell him how much she'd miss him and that she'd connected with him the day they talked about their disabilities. She wanted to say how much she admired his strength and smarts and stamina; for not letting a wheelchair hold him back. But the right words refused to come.

So, instead, she surprised him with a peck on the cheek. At a loss for his voice, Chip's cheeks turned bright red; burning so hot, they fogged his glasses.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug made his way over to Mrs. Matthews, trying to gauge her reaction to all the sad talk. She still looked all bottled up; eyes on the floor, not wanting to look at him, even though he knew she knew he was standing right there. Carefully, he took a step closer, but stopped when she whispered, "I don't care if you hate me. I'm doing this for her own good."

She completely expected the man to start ranting about how she was being too judgmental and unfair-how she should reconsider her decision. But instead, he shocked her with a calm, "I know…and I understand."

She finally let her eyes wander up to face Sparkplug. He looked her straight in the face; lips a firm line as he explained in a quiet hush, "I'm a parent too. I know what you think and what you're going through. I know how you secretly don't want her to leave, but know this is for the best. And maybe it is. I worry about Spike everyday…and I've sometimes pondered doing this very same thing."

He paused to let his words sink in. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "You know…he was turned into an Autobot once, too."

Instantly, the mother shot him a horrified look. She still stayed silent, but her expression screamed out to tell her more. So, the father indulged her, "I won't go into all the details, but let's just say I was close to pulling him out too."

The woman finally muttered in complete shock, "Then why didn't you?"

Sparkplug sighed, "One; because in the end, we survived the incident…and two; because Spike still wanted to stay. And I came to realize my son was growing up. We both know the risks, but it's his life to live. I support whatever he wants to accomplish in life, and I feel I've got no right to hold him back."

The mother eyed him wearily, "Even if he's put in danger?"

The man slowly nodded, "Life is full of danger every day. We'd only be living half a life if we didn't face it head on."

Mrs. Matthews blushed, "Now you sound like my husband."

Sparkplug knew that subject was still touchy-he got that way when people mentioned his late wife. So instead, he replied, "All I'm saying is…your daughter's a woman now…it might be time to let go."

For a moment, the woman looked hurt at the man's words; how dare he tell her how to raise her child. But just as quickly, the anger subsided as she realized he was only giving her advice-he never said she had to act upon it. But still, how could he just stand by and watch his son be put in harm's way? It just didn't make sense. At long last, she turned a bit to see how her daughter was making out. By then, Spike, Carly, and Chip were huddled around the girl as she made more small talk with the gathered Autobots. The more the mother heard the recalls to happier times, the more her stern features softened. She hadn't known just how much Kayla and her friends had gone through. Her daughter told her many stories, but to hear about the smaller moments, and from the 'Bots' perspective…she hadn't known how much they DID care for her.

Just then, a set of doors from across the room opened, and everyone turned at the noise. Standing in the doorway was Jazz; lips steadily frowning and shoulders clearly trying everything in their power to be held high. All was silent as the Porsche slowly trudged toward the group; some familiar objects cupped carefully in his hand. He stopped just a few feet away from the mother and daughter; knelt down, and held out his hand.

"I,uh…got yer' stuff, Kay", he said in an almost-whisper.

His hesitant tone made it clear he would've rather scooped the girl up and whisked her away where they could never be separated again. And judging by how said red head faced his general direction with sad, longing eyes, she thought the same. Where to even start with Jazz? He was the reason she'd gotten involved with the Autobots; befriended them, became one of their allies and assistants. He was her best friend, confidant, and came to love him like an older brother. He helped her in her time of need, and she, in turn, hoped she'd returned the favor somehow. Thanks to him and one fateful afternoon, she'd experienced more in three years than most people do in a lifetime.

But now, it was all ending…and him just simply handing over her belongings made the gravity of the situation finally drop on her.

And the tears began flowing.

This time, not a single sound escaped her mouth. Instead, her head dropped, making her hair drape her face like a pair of red curtains to hide her sobs. She wasn't fooling anyone, as attested by the Autobots, who could only glance at each other sadly; giving the "there's nothing I can do" look. Jazz nearly wrenched his outstretched hand back, as if he were holding something deadly out to her, when Mrs. Matthews stopped him. Quickly, but gently, she gathered the items and handed them to Kayla. At first, she made no move to accept her belongings back, but when her mom noted that she wasn't about to carry all her daughter's things all the way home, the musician finally swung her guitar on her back. The girl had no strength left to argue; quietly taking her backpack in one hand-her other hand waiting for her cane. But instead, the mother kept the walking stick; looping an arm around her child-ready to guide her.

"Let's go home", Kayla's mom replied; her voice monotone, but firm. She was tired, but not leaving room for argument.

The Porsche knew that was his cue to transform. However, he was VERY hesitant in standing up. He glanced at his comrades, who all gave him a nod. If there was anyone who was going to drive Kayla home for the final time, it was Jazz. With a final sigh, the saboteur slowly shifted to his sports car form; politely opening the door like always. Mother and daughter then began trudging to the vehicle-arm in arm. It was only a few feet, but for the musician, it felt like miles. And all the while, she could feel everyone staring at her.

In particular, a certain 18-wheeler stood by Jazz; watching the sad event unfold. Optimus Prime had stayed quiet the whole time; wanting to give the girl more than enough chance to say goodbye to his troops. But now that the Porsche had transformed, and the red head was almost to the car, he knew now was his time to say a last parting word.

The pair stopped in their tracks when he began to speak, "Mrs. Matthews…I'm deeply sorry for what has transpired here. I understand your anger, and I'm not about to stop you.  I realize this is the only time you've ever visited the Ark, and I wish to Primus it had been under better circumstances than this. You put faith in us, and we severed that trust severely. I truly apologize."

The mother was silent and let him say his peace. He then knelt down-his tone going softer, "And Kayla…I just want you to know that my troops and I appreciate and value everything you've done in helping our cause. Your courage and optimism are traits that are becoming harder to find, the more our war rages on. I wish you the best of luck in your future, and may Primus watch over you and your family. We're proud to have you as our friend."

The girl tilted her head in the leader's general direction; her heart filling with pure warmth and flattery. She knew this may very well be the last time he ever saw her, so she decided to give him a nice image to go out on. Her lips perked up into a soft smile, and she nodded.

"Thank you."

Behind his mask, Prime smiled as well-a wave of relief coming from those two simple words.

The mother then ushered her daughter into the idling Porsche. After the girl was settled, her mom began to put her foot inside the cab. But she paused to turn around once more and stare into Prime's optics. Her eyes bore no more anger; replaced with deep sorrow.

"You made a promise to me", she thought, "And you broke it."

By the way Optimus looked back at her with guilt, it was like he had read her mind.

Mrs. Matthews then fully sat down in the car and shut the door. The black and white Porsche slowly drove out the exit; mother and daughter silhouetted in the back window. Both human and Autobot alike watched the vehicle shrink as it faded into the distance…then finally, disappeared over the horizon completely.  


.

.

.

A steady wind whipped through the trees that lined the road leading towards the city; rustling the leaves rather loudly and breaking the quiet. The once-clear sky began to darken; clouds filling the gray canvas-an obvious sign of heavy rain approaching.  

The holographic man in the driver's seat of the Porsche made no attempt to hide his scowl. Why did it have to rain on today of all days? As sad as he was, a sunny sky would've salved the wound in his spark just a tiny bit. Couldn't Primus show him some mercy? But he quickly put his own frustration aside, as he had something more important to worry about.

Kayla and her mother sat in the back seat; both deathly silent. The woman looked everywhere but at the holo-driver, while her daughter opted to leaning her head against the window. And even though the two sat together, they couldn't have been more far apart. Jazz was at a complete loss for words; he knew he had to say SOMEthing-it was his last chance. And yet, whatever he came up with sounded too corny, depressing, or insulting.

So, he did the only thing he could think of; he went for the radio. He nonchalantly flicked it on-trying to look natural, and tuned in to the first station he came to. Unfortunately, the notes that came forth were less than promising.

 

_Spending all my nights_

_All my money going out on the town_

_Doing anything just to get you off my mind_

_But when the morning comes_

_I'm right back where I started again_

_Trying to forget you is just a waste of time_

_Baby come back; any kind of fool could see_

_There was something in everything about you_

_Baby come back; you can blame it all on me_

_I was wrong, and I just can't live without you_

_All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado_

_Trying to keep the smile that hides a tear_

_But as the sun goes down_

_I get that empty feeling again_

_How I wish to God that you were here_

_Baby come back; any kind of fool could see_

_There was something in everything about you_

_Baby come back; you can blame it all on me_

_I was wrong, and I just can't live without you_

 

Faster than when he had turned it on, the saboteur flicked the radio off; optics glued to the road-so much for THAT idea.

Just then, a familiar bus stop came into view. For a split second, the Autobot considered passing it up; pretending to miss it, but Mrs. Matthews voice killed that thought.

"You can stop here."

_Slaggit._

He slowed to a gentle stop, then politely opened the doors. He was angry and sad, yes, but that didn't mean he could forget his manners. The mother exited first; grabbing the girl's backpack in the process. Once it was on her back, she turned around, only to find that holo-Jazz had gotten out as well and was fishing for the red head's guitar. And oddly enough, the mom made no move to stop him. Perhaps some of her anger had finally subsided? Or maybe she thought back to all the times the Porsche ferried them places and realized she could still trust him? Whatever the reasoning, Jazz wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and just rolled with it.

Setting the guitar aside a moment, the saboteur stared longingly at Kayla, who was huddled in the far corner of the cab; body pressed against the door. He held out his hand.

"Kayla?"

She flinched and tightened her grip on the door handle.

Jazz sighed, "Kay…I know it's hard…but you're gonna' be okay…we'll all be okay."

His gentle words helped her relax. After a very long pause, she then slowly and hesitantly scooted across the seats-heart skipping a beat when he took her hand. A hologram didn't feel quite the same as a real human, but to her, it was the most comforting feeling in the world.

Both musicians were soon standing hand in hand on the sidewalk. Thunder started to rumble far off in the distance, but it didn't matter to them. The girl's grip tightened; wanting this moment to last forever. She fought back more tears when the Porsche muttered, "Well, I…suppose this is it."

The red head sniffed; hating to acknowledge the fact. But she nodded, "Yep."

Inside, the saboteur cursed himself. This was the one time he should've been pouring his spark out, so why weren't the words coming? He could've gone on for hours how much he loved her, and cared about her, and how much he was going to miss her. But his mouth made no movement. Then he realized why. He didn't NEED to speak. He knew Kayla knew exactly what he was thinking, and most likely, thought the same. They operated on practically the same wavelength-it should've come as no surprise they didn't need words. Just that one simple hand squeeze spoke volumes.

The girl could stand it no longer. In one movement, she had her arms around him; burying her face in his white T-shirt. Immediately, he squeezed her back-stroking her hair-trying to comfort her.

"Hey now…" he soothed, "Maybe in some ways…this is good. You kin' finally live a normal life."

His words may have been true, but his tone wasn't so confident. Kayla shook her head and mumbled, "…you WERE my normal life."

The saboteur was so thrown by her admission, he didn't notice a drop of water hit his head. But soon, little by little, more drips fell from the sky…and eventually, a bolt of lightning let loose the entire downpour. Within minutes, the red head was soaked to the bone, but she didn't care; not when she could stay locked in Jazz's arms for a few more minutes.

The Porsche couldn't have felt more awkward. Holograms didn't get wet, and his best friend was suffering because of him. But just then, a shade came overtop them both, and he turned to see Mrs. Matthews holding an umbrella for them. Where she conjured it up, he hadn't a clue-most likely, from the backpack. Her appearance also brought him back to reality, and he looked down at his friend.

"Ya' better get goin'," he stuttered, "'Fore ya' catch a cold." His tone clearly said otherwise. He glanced at the woman with hopeful eyes, "Ya' sure ya' don't want me to take ya' the rest of the way?"

His hopes were dashed when the mother shook her head, "We'll be fine on our own."

And then, as if to confirm that statement, she reached in her pocket and dropped an object into his hand. He didn't even have to glance down to know what it was…but he did anyway. In his chocolate-colored palm was the bright red, Autobot symbol-shaped communicator. The one their human friends used to stay in contact with one another. It was also the first "present" he'd gotten Kayla…and now, here it was. An entire friendship literally being handed back to him.

The mother's voice broke through the curtain of rain, "We…won't be needing this anymore."

All the saboteur could muster was a tiny nod of recognition.

The woman then took her daughter's hand; eyes not meeting Jazz, "It's time to go."

The red head made no move to follow. Ultimately, she found herself being gently pulled off her friend. The Porsche watched as her hand slid down the length of his arm; brushed his fingertips-gave him one last squeeze…then separated.

Mrs. Matthews and Kayla huddled under the umbrella together, despite the fact the girl was already soaked. With a final nod to the duo, the hologram winked out; reappearing in the driver's seat as the car started up. A careful K-turn later, and the saboteur was heading back to base. His internal sensors looked behind to watch as the red head became smaller and smaller. He didn't have it in his spark to say goodbye.

So instead, he beeped.

And to his surprise, the musician waved back. Instantly, he thought of the day he first met her mom-the image of that perfect sunset casting a happy pink and yellow glow over the landscape…how they happily waved goodbye to him.

It was the same scene all over again…only now, broadcast from some alternate universe he wished he could escape from. Suddenly, he hit a huge puddle-obscuring his vision for only a second. And when the water cleared, Kayla was gone-as if mother nature wiped away her existence.

Jazz cursed the rain once more, before shifting into high gear.

Little did he know…perched atop a nearby building…Laserbeak had spied the entire exchange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay, a LONG chapter, I know. But I thought a break in between would've hurt the flow. You guys are probably hating Mrs. Matthews right now, but try to see it from her perspective. She's only doing what she feels is best for her daughter.
> 
> I'm also kinda' proud of Sparkplug's dialogue. I always wanted to do a bit about what he thought about Spike being in danger every week, so when the opportunity came, I took it. 
> 
> And don't worry; I promised Decepticons, and you're gonna' get 'em. Our climax has finally come!


	9. Chapter 9

Mrs. Matthews sat at her kitchen table, sipping coffee, but not relaxing in a single drop of it. The room was dead quiet, making the ticks of the clock above the fridge seem ten times louder. It was as if every second that passed mocked the woman; teasing her utter loneliness in the kitchen. With nothing on TV, and no paper to read, the mother could only replay last night's events over and over in her mind.

Both her and Kayla arrived home about an hour after the tearful goodbye to Jazz. For the whole journey, neither spoke a word to each other. The second they were in the house, the musician immediately made a beeline for her bedroom and slammed the door. And that's where she stayed for the rest of the day…all through the night, and now into the next morning. The mother found her daughter's retaliation odd, in that she completely expected a screaming match the moment their feet hit the welcome mat. To be getting the cold shoulder instead…it was more than unnerving. At least yelling meant attention; to be completely ignored just made her feel worse.

The mom tried everything to coax the girl out of her room; calling her down for dinner…then bringing the food directly to her. Snappy remarks escalated to yelling, which softened to logical reasoning, then tearful pleading. But all she got in response was cold, indifferent silence. The door remained shut. The mother never felt so lonely in her life…then realized that maybe that was the red head's goal all along-to make her mom feel more lonely than she most likely felt. Well, if that WAS her motive, she was doing one heck of a job.

Mrs. Matthews stared at the clock for the hundredth time-almost noon. With a heavy sigh, she rose from her chair, and began the long ascent up the stairs to her daughter's bedroom. She could stand the silence no longer-the girl hadn't spoke, hadn't come out, and hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. Something had to give, and right now. Her hand now on the doorknob, the mother took one more moment to brace herself for the fight that was sure to come, before quietly entering the room.

Kayla was lying on her bed-her back to her mom. She was still in her same clothes from yesterday; her hair matted down and tangled from sleeping with wet head. As the woman approached, she immediately noticed the damp blankets. A dark circle encased the girl's whole body-evidence that not only did she not change clothes, she also never bothered to dry off from the rain. Hesitantly, the mother sat at the edge of the bed; the movement making the musician tense up.

At long last, Mrs. Matthews broke the quiet with a clearing of the throat, "You know you can't stay in here forever."

The girl responded by burying her head deeper into the pillow.  But the mom wasn't about to give up so quickly, and arched an eyebrow, "I'm sure you must be getting hungry."

She nearly cracked a smile when she heard her daughter's stomach growl, as if on cue. But never the less, the red head curled into an even tighter ball; trying to put the proverbial foot down that she refused to budge. Her mother leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse at the girl's face. Sunlight crept in through the window blinds, and for a moment, her damp, red cheeks glistened in the light-a clear sign she had been crying, and in plentiful amounts.

Taking a deep breath, the woman finally let the sentence escape-the one she'd been trying to say for hours, "…I did it for your safety." A long pause, then a whisper, "…I'm sorry."

And she truly meant it too. She hated to take her daughter away from her friends…but when those friends break a promise and pose a danger to their lives…

She was about to give voice to all her thoughts, when suddenly, for the first time since yesterday, Kayla spoke. She didn't turn around, but her tone was crisp, clear, and filled with venom, "No, you're not sorry. You've been saying for years how you wanted me to live a "normal" life, which was just another way of saying you didn't want me there. You were just waiting for the one slip up where you'd have an excuse to take me away. And you knew Optimus wouldn't argue with you."

Mrs. Matthews was more than hurt at the accusation. True, that WAS part of her reasoning, but saying it like that made her out to be a villain. Of course she felt sad for what she felt she had to do. Making the decision to leave was just as hard as them having to bear it. She started to explain; her eyes sorrowful, "Kayla…"

But she was cut off when her daughter threw her arm out-voice even louder, "I didn't care what the risks were! I finally had a life and friends; the best friends I could ever ask for, and you took them away from me!"

And then, the mother was taken by surprise when the girl suddenly sprang up and spun around-facing her with such anger and intensity, it actually frightened her a moment. Fresh tears spilled out of dead eyes as the red head hollered, "You got what you wanted! Are you happy now?!"

The mom was at a loss for words. Was she truly relieved the Autobots were out of their lives? Or did all she do was simply open up another can of worms? For once in her life, she had no clue what to do or say next. All that escaped her breath was a tiny, "I…"

"Get out!" Kayla pointed towards the doorway and screamed at the top of her lungs, "JUST GET OUT!"

A harsh silence fell upon the bedroom; the only sound being the girl's heavy breathing. She then swiveled around and plopped herself back on the bed-lying even farther away so her mother wouldn't dare touch her. Mrs. Matthews realized there'd be no reasoning with her daughter-at least, not right now. So, she did the only thing she could think of; she slowly rose to her feet and left the room. But she stopped at the doorway and turned once more; fighting in vain to hold back tears. The girl might've been blind, but she could hear emotions as clearly as someone seeing them. With that in mind, the mother put her entire soul behind the following seven words.

"I did it because I love you."

Without missing a beat, Kayla spat:

"Well I hate YOU."

A long pause, save for the barely-audible sound of one tear hitting the carpet, and the mother calmly shut the door.

As soon as wood met wood, Mrs. Matthews leaned against the door frame-trying everything to keep herself composed. She was tired of yelling, and what was the point? Her eyes drifted; looking at everything and nothing as she thought. Before long, her gaze landed upon the framed picture of her husband. It hung just outside her own bedroom, and his strong, confidant eyes stared back at her, as if to say "just give her time". Thinking about it, however, the mom figured he'd say something more along the lines of, "well, you REALLY mucked things up this time. What're you gonna' do now?"

Said three year widow exhaled a sigh of frustration. He would've known exactly what to do-what to say. Her head drooped, and she whispered, "I wish you were here right now."

The mother was snapped from her thoughts at the sound of the doorbell. An eyebrow arched; who could that be? The two red heads hardly ever had visitors, which she always found a bit odd, considering the revolving door of Autobots that daily swung by the neighborhood since they first met. She figured at least one or two curious (more like amazed) neighbors would've come knocking by now with more than a few questions. Funny how she never gave that weird fact much thought until just now. It's not until it's over that you reflect…

The bell rang again, and Mrs. Matthews quickened her decent down the steps, calling out, "I'm coming." Arriving in the threshold, she gave a quick glance in the nearby mirror-hoping she looked presentable to whoever was calling her. It wouldn't do to look frazzled, especially after her…discussion. As soon as she was ready, she carefully opened the door a crack to see who it was.

A human-sized, blue and purple mech, with piercing red optics, glared back at her; standing on the porch like he was the milkman. He flashed a grin, "Special delivery."

The woman promptly let out a blood curdling scream and slammed the door shut.

She wasn't even halfway up the steps when she heard the explosion of wood splintering and an oak door crashing into a wall. A thick cloud of drywall and plaster smoke filled the threshold like a fog. And through the mist stepped Rumble and Frenzy; the latter splitting off into the living room-the former with his arms still stuck as pile drivers. He strutted into the kitchen with all the confidence of a cat playing with its prey-calling out, "Now, is that any way to treat a guest?"

There were no humans to be found, but the cassette knew the fleshling was somewhere near, listening. His optics landed upon the fridge, and with a chuckle, he hoisted the entire appliance over his head as if it weighed nothing. Just then, his "brother" called from the other room, "Hey Rumble! Where should we start?"

"Who cares?!" the 'Con yelled back, "Boss says we ain't leavin' 'till the job's done!"

He then thrust the refrigerator at the opposite wall, where it proceeded to burst through, scatter food and debris across the den, then smash through the picture window and land on the front lawn. The tiny ball of terror practically skipped through the hole he made, and together, he and Frenzy took great delight in tearing the whole house apart. From ripping furniture in half, to throwing plates and candy dishes around like ninja stars, the two seemed to take all their anger and frustration over their war, and thrust it upon the poor, little dwelling.

Meanwhile, in a certain upstairs bedroom, Kayla and her mother were both huddled under the girl's bed; trying everything in their power to stay quiet. Earlier, the red head thought she heard a noise from downstairs, but before she could investigate, her mom had suddenly burst in-yelled, "Under the bed, now!", then tackled her when she didn't respond fast enough. As the woman barricaded the door with everything she could find, her daughter put an ear to the floor and listened. Between the sounds of crashing, yelling, and twisted laughter, she didn't need to guess at who invaded their home. Both red heads now practically clung to each other; trying everything to be as quiet and small as possible-all the while thinking of a plan of escape.

When the sounds of destruction increased, Mrs. Matthews felt it safe to whisper, "How did these monsters find us? What do they even want from us?" She glanced at her daughter, "Who are they?!"

Unlike her mom, Kayla's expression held more disgust than fear, "Rumble and Frenzy. Two of Soundwave's cassette tapes…" Her blank eyes narrowed, "…which means the others aren't far behind."

"Others?!" the mother gasped, "Oh my God…we've got to get out of here!"

Eyes wide, the woman searched the room with a glance; mind racing to find a solution. Just then, her gaze landed upon the window, and for a split second, she smiled.

"The window!" she exclaimed. At once, she abandoned her hiding spot; dragging the girl along with her. She pulled up the blinds and picked the lock at lightning speed, explaining, "It's a long drop, but it's our only chance. We'll sneak out the back and-"

But as the mother slid open the window, the musician's sharp hearing picked up a familiar bird screech. Without thinking twice, she grabbed her mom by the shoulders and pulled her to the floor, "We can't!"

The woman struggled to break free of her daughter's grip, "Why not?!"

"Because I heard Laserbeak out there!" the girl spit out her reasoning faster than she could think it, "That's exactly what they expect us to do. He's circling the house, making sure we don't try anything funny." Her tone softened slightly as she added, "Forget it…we're surrounded."

But Mrs. Matthews was still too afraid to accept the sad fact, and only continued to struggle, "Kayla, this is no time to argue! This could be our only chance!"

The musician had enough. She loosened her grip on her mom, but only so she could turn her so they were face to face. There was a tense pause as mother and daughter stared each other down; each not willing to back down. But then, the girl's eyes and tone became more apologetic as she sighed, "Look…I'm really sorry…for everything I said. But please…just for once, will you LISTEN to me? I've dealt with these guys before; I know how they operate." She then pointed in the direction of the outside, "And I know for a fact that if we jump out that window, we're both dead."

The mother was taken aback at such a blunt explanation. But soon, at long last, her anger melted into genuine concern, as her daughter finished, "Please…I know the past week's pretty much ruined whatever faith you had in the Autobots…maybe even in me. But I ask you now…if there was only one time you had to completely trust me, it's NOW."

A tear threatened to escape the mom's eye, as her glance darted between the open window; possible freedom, and her daughter's stone cold serious stare, which lessened to an almost pleading expression. For an instant, her mind flashed to her husband…who, were he there at that moment, would've been following his baby girl's advice and put together a plan by then. Suddenly, a black and red blur swooped by the window; screeching as it went past…and the mother had her answer.

"I trust you."

Suddenly, an explosion downstairs caused the entire house to shake, no doubt caused by Rumble. Mother and daughter held on to each other until the mini earthquake subsided. The woman then looked to her child; trying to sound confident, "So, now what?"

The musician sighed, knowing her mom wasn't going to like what she had to say, but had no choice, "We're pretty much dead no matter where we go." When the mother gasped, she quickly continued, "But if we try the window, they'll spot us for sure. At least staying in the house gives us more hiding spots."

Although stricken with fear, Mrs. Matthews nodded at the logic. When she didn't say anything for a full minute; opting to just listen to the kayos below them, Kayla broke the pause, "I'm sure the neighbors got out in time. Most likely called the cops too. And I know the Autobots'll be coming any time now…we just have to hold out until they get here."

The mother had curled herself into a ball; trying in vain to not let any tears fall. Her home was being demolished, and her and her daughter could only sit and let it happen. And more importantly, she knew that once the Decepticons were finished downstairs, the bedroom was next. And there was nothing she could do about it. On instinct, she began reaching in her pocket for a certain communicator, only to remember that she'd given it back to Jazz. Her cheeks flushed as she gritted her teeth; cursing her bad luck. She wanted nothing more than to just be rid of the Autobots-believing them to be a burden…and here now she found herself praying for them to come and save them.

Damn karma.

Without thinking, the mother suddenly mumbled, "Then…what're we supposed to do?"

The red head whispered only one word, "…survive."

Just then, the commotion downstairs stopped. Both women perked their heads up at the sudden silence. No gradual decrease like an ocean wave; just a bleak and utter halt-as if someone used the mute button on all the destruction. For a full minute, all was quiet…and for one tiny moment, Mrs. Matthews hoped the calm meant the 'Cons didn't find whatever they were looking for and left.

And then came the sound of slow, heavy footfalls coming up the stairs.

Both girls didn't need to speak to know what to do. Immediately, both of them darted back under the bed; curling up even smaller than before. Beads of sweat trickled down their foreheads the louder the footsteps became. The mother couldn't help herself and began to hyper ventilate, to which her daughter had to practically cover her mouth to keep her dead quiet. The steps drew closer…and closer…their hearts pounding so hard they could feel it in their ears, which blocked out all other noise for a moment.

And then…the doorknob turned…

The humans froze.

Due to the amount of things the mom had shoved in the entrance, the door wouldn't open. After some struggling, the cassette on the other side felt it easier to just bust through with his pile drivers. Two quick punches made everything go flying in all directions, including the door itself…and Rumble and Frenzy entered the room.

_Please don't find us._

From under the bed, the mother stared and the daughter listened as two large pairs of metal feet shuffled around the room. Rumble knelt down and began sorting through the mess he made upon entry, while Frenzy made his way over to the dresser on the opposite wall. One by one, he rooted through each drawer-tossing clothes over his shoulder, before throwing the drawer itself on the floor and starting on the next one. In particular, he giggled at the bras and other undergarments-not knowing what they were used for, but finding them funny looking none the less.

"Pervert", the mom almost mumbled.

For a steady ten minutes, the cassettes took their time in turning over everything-amazing the two humans at how quiet they were, considering all the ruckus they made before. Two hearts skipped a beat as robot legs brushed against the sides of the bed. The sounds of pillows and a mattress being torn up followed...but not once did a pair of red optics glance underneath. Odd as it was, the girl and her mom weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and just thanked the Lord for the 'Cons' lapse in judgment.

Just then, Rumble spoke up, "Hey, look at this."

Frenzy moved away from the bed. The girls breathed a sigh of relief.

The pairs of feet were now by the open window. A pause, and then, "Slaggit. They must've jumped out."

_Good. They think we left._

"So, what now?" That was Frenzy.

It sounded like Rumble shrugged, "Let's go ask the boss."

With that, the two cassettes made their way out of the room.

All was quiet, save for two women's frightened breathing-a call cut WAY too close. The two waited a full five minutes; listening for any sign of their invaders…but there was nothing. Slowly, and carefully, Mrs. Matthews peeked out from under the bed curtain; looking one way, then the other. The coast was clear. She turned back to her daughter and whispered, "I'm going to go see if they left. Then I'll run for help. Stay here and don't move."

The red head was about to nod, when a chilling thought occurred to her. It may have been quiet, but she never recalled hearing the cassettes going back downstairs…and under the bed is always the first spot anyone searches in a bedroom…so why hadn't they bothered to look there?

…unless…

"Mom, DON'T!" she whisper/shouted.

But no sooner did the words fall out of her mouth, did her hunch prove correct. Her mother was just starting to get to her feet, when a strong force pounced on the woman's back. She didn't even have time to gasp or react. One moment she was standing-the next, her face was digging into the carpet as something had her pinned by her arms and legs. She was about to scream, when a deep, inhuman growl rumbled in her ear, and her voice caught in her throat.

Kayla's eyes widened in shock-Ravage.

The woman was so entranced in watching the cassettes, she hadn't even noticed a third one slink into the room. The girl, meanwhile, cursed under her breath. The panther was sitting on top of them the whole time, waiting for them to come out. They ALL knew where she and her mom were the whole time…merely toying with them like a cat with a mouse before he eats it.

But now wasn't the time to sulk-her mom was in danger.

Without a second thought, the musician bolted out from under the bed; throwing herself on top of Ravage. Her whole body flowed with adrenaline as she punched her attacker directly in the head with all her might. Her knuckles bruised and bled from whacking the hard, black metal, but it hardly mattered to her. She couldn't even feel it-her energy and anger blocked out everything else.

Finally, the cat had enough, and in one fluid motion, he bucked the red head off his back like a raging bull. The girl went flipping through the air; landing in the pile of clothes and debris on the floor. At that moment, Rumble and Frenzy came rushing back in-scooping Kayla up like a rag doll. Each cassette took a hold of one of her arms; laughing as she struggled in vain to get free.

"About time you fleshbags decided to come out", Rumble sneered.

The musician twisted and turned; trying to pry loose-to no avail, "Lemme' go you son of a-!"

"Nuh uh-UH…" Frenzy cut her off; wagging a finger with his free hand like a person scolding a bad pet, "We wouldn't want any "accidents" to happen now would we?"

With that warning, the girl wisely kept her mouth shut. But she still continued to struggle, regardless. Meanwhile, Ravage loosened his grip on Mrs. Matthews just a smidgen; just enough so she could lift her head up and gasp for air. Tears began rolling down her cheeks when she saw the state her daughter was in, "Please! Don't hurt her! I'll do anything! Just leave us alone!"

Frenzy shot her a nasty glare, "Aw, shut up ya' stupid fleshy. It's not you we want anyway." He turned his gaze on the musician, "So, where did ya' hide it?"

"Hide what?!" she grunted; pulling one way, then the other, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Rumble gave the girl's arm a hard twist, making her yell. The mom screamed out to stop, but the cassette ignored her, "You know EXACTLY what we're talking about! Where's the chip?!"

"What chip?" the red head managed to gasp…even though she realized what they meant at that moment.

"Don't play dumb!" Frenzy motioned for his "brother" to let go. He then grabbed her by both wrists and slammed her into a closet; the door splintering with the pressure. His face now inches away from hers, he seethed, "You know we got optics and audios everywhere. We've been watchin' you. We already got a team surroundin' the Ark, so don't think yer' buddies are comin' to your rescue anytime soon. They're actin' like the chip's not with 'em anymore, which means there's only one other place it could be!"

Had the situation been different, Kayla would've laughed. In all the years she'd been with the Autobots, that had to be the smartest thing the cassettes ever said. She would've told them they weren't as dumb as they looked, had she not been withering in pain at being smashed into a plywood door. But Frenzy only pressed down harder, growling, "Did you steal it? Hide it? Did it absorb into your body? What?! Where is IT?!"

He shook his victim with ever increasing frustration. But still, the girl wouldn't talk. All she mumbled was, "I'm sorry…I really don't know where it is. When I changed back, it just…disappeared."

But the mini-Decepticon wasn't buying it. He finally released the red head, to which she slid to the floor, moaning. For half a minute, he paced the room, trying to piece together what he was just told and coming up short. Nothing was making sense-Soundwave's calculations were never wrong. In a last bit of desperation, he motioned for Ravage to let go of Mrs. Matthews. The panther hissed, but did as he was told and backed off. Rumble immediately stepped behind the mother and held her arms behind her back-twisting them for good measure. Despite the girl being blind, Frenzy pointed to her mom anyway, "Last chance. Either you tell us where you're hiding the chip, or the fleshbag gets it!"

Kayla's mom was too stricken with both fear and confusion to know what to do, much less say. Her daughter obviously knew what was going on-what they were after. So her first instinct was to shout, "Whatever they're looking for, don't give it to them!" But then there was the fact that if they didn't find the object of their search, her child would most likely be killed along with her. Do they risk the life of one, or the many? An impossible decision the mother thought she'd never have to be faced with…or rather, one she never hoped her daughter would have to make.

The red head wasn't faring any better. She had to make a life-saving decision in a matter of seconds. Had she been holding the transforming chip right there, she would've simply handed it over. She'd be giving the enemy a major advantage, yes, but she had faith in the Autobots-she knew they'd find a way to defeat the very thing they created. And she also knew they'd be forgiving when they knew the hand off was due to a life being threatened. But what could she possibly do when she truly DID NOT know where the pendant was?

While holding Mrs. Matthews back with one hand, Rumble activated the laser rifle in his other arm and pressed it to the back of her neck, sneering, "My trigger arm's gettin' shaky…"

Frenzy merely shook his head and sighed, "Just do it."

The rifle hummed as it powered up.

The mother squeezed her eyes shut; praying.

And the girl finally got an idea.

"WAIT!" she threw her arm out.

Both cassettes froze; the mom held her breath.

The musician cursed herself for not thinking of it earlier. She didn't possess the MacGuffin, but that didn't mean she couldn't be useful in another way. Her mom would protest-she was going to cry; the girl was sure of that…but it was the only option they had. Bracing herself for the hell sure to follow, she took a deep breath and made her point clear, "I don't know where the chip is…but I know you won't get far with the Autobots without a hostage."

Her mother let out a soft, but horrified gasp.

_No…not my daughter…_

"You can use me in whatever way you wish", the red head explained; trying to hide the fear in her voice, "If I go with you…you have to promise you'll let my mom go…and never come back here again."

The two Decepticons glanced at each other, as if holding their own private conversation in their heads. They had their own experience with this human before-they knew her for her word twisting and quick actions. Trusting her would be a gamble. And yet…seeing the pure and poorly-hidden terror on her face…the way she kept her head trained in her mom's general direction; putting on a brave face…it was no trick this time.

Frenzy flashed a devilish grin, "…I think we can settle for that."

The mother's heart caught in her throat, as a waterfall of tears flowed from her eyes. Suddenly, all her pent up energy came flying back, and she struggled to break free from Rumble's grasp-completely forgetting about the pistol still pointed at her head. All she could think about was how her only child was being taken from her. Images of all the horrible things they could do to the girl flashed across her mind, and she finally found her voice, "NO! Please! Take me instead! She's got a whole life to live!"

But her cries fell on deaf audios as Frenzy grabbed the musician by the shoulder; spun her around to face the entrance, and began to lead her out. At that point, Rumble felt it safe to let the mom go, but not before ordering Ravage to stay between them. The panther was to keep Mrs. Matthews out of the way until they secured their bargaining chip. The woman felt like exploding; screaming, throwing something, but their attackers left nothing for her to take her anger out on. She could only watch helplessly as her daughter was led away to God-knows where. This could've very well been the last time she'd ever see her child alive…and she never got to hug or kiss her goodbye…

The mother's whole body shook as she sobbed, "Kayla…why…?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, and yet, the red head stopped and turned-more for her mom's own benefit of getting to look at her one more time. A short pause later, the girl actually sent a tiny smile as she echoed words spoken that morning.

"I did it because I love you."

The cassettes then shoved her down the hall, and she disappeared from view.

Ravage glanced up at the woman once more, before slinking out after his masters. A moment later, the mother found herself rushing out the doorway-not caring about the consequences. Her only desire was to catch another glimpse of her daughter; hoping to yell out anything to stall for more time. But she stopped dead in her tracks upon facing the robotic panther again out in the hallway. He stood at the edge of the stairs like a black road block-baring his teeth and daring the lady to try and cross him.

Strangely enough, she was able to ignore his threatening stance for a moment, as her gaze stretched beyond to survey the destruction done to her house. Food splattered everywhere from the fridge going through the picture window; smashed furniture; precious family photos ruined; broken glass dotting the floor like glitter. To all of it, she could only stare slack-jawed; too stunned for tears to even come. A large crack was already snaking up the far wall-a clear sign the very foundation was about to crumble under the pressure of being torn apart. It was as if a nuclear bomb had gone off in their living room.

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her trance when she found Ravage edging closer to her; growling and hissing in warning. Apparently, she was stepping toward the stairs-too close for the cat's comfort. She backed up a tad, hoping the panther would stop. But instead, he kept sneaking toward her; appearing ready to pounce. The mom held her hands up in surrender-trying to show she meant no malice. But this clearly wasn't good enough for the Decepticon, who continued hissing and spitting-walking her backward until she found herself in her own bedroom. The cat's red optics motioned to the door, and the woman didn't have to think twice to get the hint. Carefully, and slowly, she closed the door…then waited. A minute later, sounds of paw prints faded away.

By that time, Mrs. Matthews was about ready to curl into the fetal position and sob. Everything she had lived for and worked for had been taken from her in a matter of minutes…and whatever was left behind was destroyed. She could feel her entire life withering around her, and there was nothing she could do about it. To be so utterly helpless…it wasn't only terrifying, it was soul-searing.

So, she did the only thing left to do; she folded her hands and prayed out loud.

"Oh Lord", she whispered, though, in her mind, it may have well have been a scream, "Please help us out of this. Even if it's just one small chance…I just want my daughter back safe."

And then, a moment later…the answer came.

_Under the dresser._

Minutes seemed like hours. Precious seconds were ticking by. And yet, the mother took the time to finally glance around her room. It was a complete mess, not unlike Kayla's pile of destruction. The only difference was the claw marks on the walls; Ravage was clearly the ran sacker of this area. But apparently, the solid cedar/oak, double wide dresser was too heavy for him to flip over on his own-it was the only piece of furniture still in its proper place. The woman was only compelled to notice because she suddenly remembered something, and thanked every higher power that the panther didn't find it.

Hidden underneath, in the space between the dresser and the floor, was a loaded shotgun.

It was something her and her husband always argued about. The man felt it necessary to always have a weapon at the ready, just in case, and he made it a point to remind her of that time and again. She felt stupid for forgetting such an important fact, although truth be told, after living alone for such a long time now, it simply slipped her mind. With hesitant hands, she carefully slid the gun out from underneath the dresser; feeling the weight of the heavy metal in her palms.

She'd taken a shooting class (by husband recommendation) years ago…but hadn't touched a gun since then. She hated weapons. She hated violence.

The woman quietly cracked open the door and peeked out into the hallway. Ravage was still positioned at the top of the stairs, keeping watch. His back was to her.

This was her only chance to act…could she REALLY do this?

A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead; the gun shaking in her hands…when suddenly, images of her daughter being tortured cast her apprehensions aside. Normally, she may not have supported violence, but having a military man for a husband taught the woman that sometimes, one has no choice but to do what's necessary. Ironic, that the one person in the house who hated guns now had to bear arms.

But she would make an exception. She would save her daughter.

The woman glanced out at Ravage again; he still wasn't looking. Heart pounding, she gritted her teeth, said one final prayer, and cocked the rifle. She wasn't sure if she could kill him.

But she was positive she could shoot him.

Rumble and Frenzy had almost made it to the front door with their hostage, when suddenly, there came a silence-shattering bang-almost like a small explosion. The pair instantly swiveled at the noise, and soon after, there came the distinct sound of something heavy thumping down the steps. Rumble gave a knowing glance at his brother, who nodded in understanding and sprinted down the hallway to see what the commotion was.

The black and red cassette was met with the shocking sight of Ravage lying at the bottom of the stairs; alive, but clearly dazed. The back of his head was one huge scorch mark-a tiny trickle of energon flowing from a golf ball-sized dent. Frenzy could only stare, utterly flabbergasted, muttering, "What the frag…?!"

_Click-click._

The two clear sounds made him glance up…to be staring down the business end of a smoking shotgun aimed directly between his optics. The bearer of said weapon looked positively out of her mind…and VERY angry.

He didn't even get a chance to yell. The last thing he saw was an explosion of fire, followed by the sound of two bullets ricocheting off his thick, metal skull. He fell to the floor and blacked out a moment later.

Mrs. Matthews turned at the sound of footsteps sprinting down the hall towards her. She knew she only had a few seconds to reload her weapon. Sure enough, just as she was cocking the rifle, Rumble appeared from around the corner. She let instinct take over and took aim.

When suddenly, the cassette yanked on the weight he was restraining, and Kayla was thrust into the line of fire.

The mother gasped…she was only a fraction of an inch away from pulling the trigger.

"KAYLA, GET DOWN!" she screamed.

The girl barely had any time to comprehend what was happening, but didn't question the order. She immediately threw herself on the floor-a feat only possible because the Decepticon was too distracted by the gun in his face to worry about his hostage.

With her daughter out of the way, the mom was safe to take aim again. But it was too late. Rumble took full advantage of the opening and hurled himself at the human-grabbing hold of the gun. Human and robot then began to battle it out for control of the weapon-pulling back and forth like a deadly game of tug of war.

The 'Con twisted one way, then the other; trying anything to loosen the woman's grip. But no matter how hard he wrestled, the lady just would NOT let go. He couldn't help but be utterly shocked…as well as even a bit impressed. As a robot, he was at least five times stronger than the average human, so how could this woman not only keep such a tight grip, but manage to hold out this long?

Oddly enough, the mother, in the very back of her mind, was thinking the same thing. Only she knew the answer. Love for your child; the instinct and desire to protect them; the unbelievable adrenaline rush…they were the only things keeping her going. She had heard stories about people performing incredible and almost impossible feats of strength when faced with danger; now she knew exactly what it felt like.

But she'd dwell on it later. At that moment, the whole world seemed to fall into slow motion and fade away-the two wrestlers the sole occupants of their own little universe. The mother could feel her strength beginning to fade, as she grew more exhausted. But just then, she felt a strange, yet familiar presence come over her…as if someone took her by the hands and helped her hang on just a little longer. And then, a voice rang out in her mind.

_You can do this._

A single tear escaped her.

_…Peter._

The woman finally gathered her energy into one last push, and thrust the end of the rifle directly at the 'Con. She wasted no time in pulling the trigger.

A pair of bullets exploded into Rumble's chest, throwing him backward. He hit the opposite wall; energon splattering in all directions. He could only stare blankly at the gaping hole-smoke billowing out of it like a volcano. The ammo was still inside him, just barely missing his spark chamber.

Rumble glanced up at his former opponent, unable to move, "You slaggin'…"

His voice trailed off as he fell unconscious.

Mrs. Matthews took a moment to catch her breath, before sprinting over to where Kayla was still lying. Putting the rifle aside, she helped her daughter to her feet, still panting for air, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

The girl shook her head. Instantly, the mom breathed a sigh of intense relief, before pulling the musician into a hug. Both red heads stayed that way for a full minute, until Kayla broke the silence with a tiny chuckle.

"What is it?" the mother asked.

Her daughter perked her head up, smiling, "Dad always told ya' that thing would come in handy."

The woman blinked in surprise, before joining in the laughter. Of all the strange times to be giggling…and yet, it felt right. A calm after such intense kayos. But soon, the girl's smirk faded, and her tone went serious again, "We better get outta' here while we got the chance."

Her mom frowned, but nodded, "Right. Let's go."

But little did they know, that the calm they thought was after the storm, was really BEFORE it.

Suddenly, another earthquake shook the entire house, only this one was ten times more massive than anything Rumble and Frenzy caused. Mother and daughter were thrown off their feet, and they could do nothing but hold onto each other for dear life. A massive, car-sized hand burst through the already-broken window; its fingers wrapping around the frame. It then hoisted upward-a crack snaking from either side as it tore through the walls like cardboard; wall separating from ceiling. Within seconds, an entire section of the roof was gone, and both women found themselves face to face with Soundwave.

The Decepticons' communication expert surveyed the area; his gleaming red optics zeroing in on his injured cassettes. He then stared at Mrs. Matthews with a look that could only be described as a mech out for blood. His voice was monotone, but still cold and calculating as he made his point clear, "You will pay for your insolence."

For someone who was so used to the warm, friendly tones of the Autobots, the woman visibly shook at how inhuman the mech sounded. Next to her, her daughter started to rise to her feet, grumbling, "Great. We just ticked off papa bear…"

Just then, the robot reached in, making the mother's heart skip a beat. Was he going to kidnap them? Swat them? Crush them? She closed her eyes and held onto the girl.

But instead, he gently picked up Rumble, followed by Ravage and Frenzy. He stared into his cupped palm-looking over his cassettes like a concerned parent. Laserbeak circled overhead; landing on his shoulder and peeking at what could've been considered his brethren. It was a strange sight-one that the mom would've smiled at, had he not been the enemy trying to kill her.

Seemingly satisfied that the trio could be repaired, Soundwave turned his sights back on the two humans. His words were short, but none the less threatening, "Relinquish the chip now."

The musician knew he wouldn't like her answer, but she had no choice, "…we don't have it."

Red optics narrowed dangerously.

"Then DIE."

Without another word, the Decepticon swung his arm across the top of the roof; cutting clean through it like butter. Coupled with all the previous damage done by the cassettes, every wall struggled to keep itself upright. Quickly, the mother grabbed her daughter and began to race for the hallway, when a chunk of ceiling crashed down in front of them, blocking the path. With no other way of escape, the mom looked every which way-mind racing to find anything they could take shelter under.

Suddenly, another large quake shook the foundations, and the woman knew it was the last one that would end it all. Her head whipped up at the sound of a loud snap, and for a split second, a falling support beam filled her line of vision. Instinct took over, and she threw her daughter in the direction of the kitchen, and out of the line of fire.

She felt a large weight come down on top of her; the girl's terrified screams fading away as she blacked out.

A moment later, the entire house finally caved in on itself and crumbled-a tsunami of smoke and dust bursting through the neighborhood as the dwelling was completely flattened to the ground.

Mere minutes seemed like an eternity. Much like a passing storm, all was deathly quiet-the smoke now reaching up towards the sky like a desperate signal flare.

And then…

In what was once the kitchen, a hand burst through the rubble; feeling around for a means of escape. It then slithered back in its hole; the dinner table popping up and down a moment later, as something kicked it from underneath. At long last, it overturned, and Kayla emerged-battered, bruised, dirty, and bloody…but triumphant. She could feel the sun warming her skin; a gentle breeze wisping through her hair, as if mother nature was trying to comfort her after the horror of losing her house.

But her small victory was short lived as a new horror crossed her mind.

_Mom._

"Mom!" she yelled, "Where are you?!"

All that answered her was a deafening silence.

"MOM!" she cupped her hands over her mouth to give her voice more volume, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Silence.

Her breath caught in her throat, and tears threatened to escape her eyes, as desperation began to mount. Her mom was right next to her when the roof collapsed; she couldn't be far. She had to hear her, she just HAD to.

"Please", her voice hitched as she sobbed, "Say something! Give me a sign! ANYTHING!"

Standing in a pile of rubble, with no one responding to her pleas…the girl never felt so lonely in all her life. She didn't consider that Soundwave might still be nearby. She didn't care if he heard her. She didn't care that she no longer had a guitar or a house…she would give up everything and anything just to hear her mother's voice again. And she swore at herself for getting into such a heated argument just moments before the whole disaster happened. What if she never got the chance to properly apologize?

_Please…I already lost Dad…don't take her away from me too…_

And then…through the wind…below the debris…came a barely-audible moan…

The musician gasped, "Mom?! Is that you?!" She stood stock still-ears straining to hear even the tiniest of sounds. Then:

"…Kayla…"

Her heart skipped a beat; the voice was close by! If only she could pin point it…

"…Kayla…I can't see you…"

The mother's cries were starting to gain strength. The girl got down on her hands and knees; trying to weave her way through the mess Soundwave caused. Every few seconds, she'd pause to listen for any sign of her mom. Then the voice would call out again, she'd get her bearings, then head in the sound's direction. Her knees ached, her hands were scraped; her torn jeans caught on every little thing sticking out, but it was of no consequence. She'd no sooner swim in a pile of needles to find her mom.

Just then, the red head lost her footing, and she went tumbling down the pile of rubble. She cried out as things slashed her and poked her, only to be relieved when she finally came to a stop. Judging by the rough texture, she figured she'd landed on top of a chunk of the roof. She gritted her teeth in utter frustration; cursing her blindness…but then…

"Kayla…?!"

"Mom?!"

"…I'm right underneath you!"

Without another thought, the musician began to dig her way through the bricks and the scrap. Little by little, piece by piece, she made her way further and further down; all the while, her mother's voice grew louder and clearer.

And finally…

Mrs. Matthews squinted as the sun shone brightly upon her battered and bruised face. The smoke and dust caused her to cough, which was all the more sound that her daughter needed to find her. Within seconds, they were at each other's side again; the mom looking up into pale blue, worried eyes.

"Kayla…" the woman strained through a throbbing headache, "Are you alright…?"

The girl nodded, "Are YOU okay?"

Her mom grimaced for a moment. Her house was destroyed-all the memories within taken with it…but as she stared at her child again, an odd smirk formed at the corners of her lips. Her home was gone, but her daughter wasn't…and that's all that mattered. The musician must've thought the same thing, for she asked a different question, "Can you get up?"

"No", the mom shook her head, "There's a support beam lying across me. I'm pinned."

It was then that the girl felt around, only to come across something very large and made of wood. The beam was directly on top of Mrs. Matthews' upper legs. The red head couldn't hold back a gasp-her mom's lower body had to have been completely crushed. But she still managed to choke out, "Can you still feel your legs? Can you move them?"

The woman's teeth clenched as she fought back waves of pain, "Barely…I think there's a just-big enough gap that my legs haven't been totally broken." She pulled as hard as she could to try and break free, to no avail, "…but it's still close enough that it's got me trapped."

With that, Kayla wasted no time in ramming her shoulder against the foot-thick plywood. Breaths turned to panting, then from panting to gasps for air, as she gathered every ounce of strength-trying with all her might to get the beam to move. But no matter how hard she pushed, the board refused to budge.

The mother could see her daughter's mounting desperation and frustration. She attempted to calm her with a sigh, "Kayla, forget it. It's too heavy."

But the girl was going to do anything but give up. She resorted to outright punching the wood; anger rising, "If I was still an Autobot, I could do this!"

She was about to throw another fist; arm gearing back, when just then, a gentle hand stopped her. Instantly, she calmed down; realizing her mom had managed to somehow sit up. Said mother squeezed her daughter's hand in comfort, "It's okay…you did your best."

The musician froze at such simple words. _You did your best._ It certainly didn't feel like it. She was the reason the Decepticons came after them. If it wasn't for her, they'd still have their home. Her voice softened considerably as bottled up tears finally poured out, "…this is all my fault."

Mrs. Matthews pulled the girl in for the best hug she could do sitting up. Her thumbs wiped away sobs as she explained, "We had no way of knowing this would happen. Don't blame yourself."

The red head buried her face in her mom's shoulder-hoping this entire nightmare was just a dream, "But…where are we supposed to go?"

Worry lines creased the mother's eyes. But not wanting to upset her daughter even more, she just rubbed her back in comfort, "…we'll figure it out. One step at a time."

The girl was about to respond, when just then, she felt some kind of sticky liquid on her mom's back. She pulled her hand back, which the woman could see was completely red. A moment later, the smell made the musician gasp, "Are you bleeding?!"

The mother blushed; not wanting to answer. When she didn't respond, the girl took it as a yes, and began fishing through her pockets, "Jeez, why didn't you tell me you had a cut like that? Lemme' see if I got a handkerchief to-"

But as she started digging into her other pants pocket, her fingers brushed against something small…and very familiar. Thumbing the object, her initial confusion turned to complete bewildering shock.

_It couldn't be…it just COULDN'T!_

Her mom must've noticed her surprised reaction, for she asked, "What's wrong?"

Instead of using words, Kayla answered by holding her hand out.

Cupped in her palm…was none other than the pendant.

The woman stared at the tiny Autobot symbol a moment…then it clicked. Her eyes widened as big as saucers, "…THAT'S what they were after?!"

The girl could only nod; dumbfounded. Of all the places for that thing to disappear to…it was in her pocket THE WHOLE TIME?! Seriously?! HER POCKET?! She felt like screaming out to the heavens; asking why they didn't give her enough sense to remember the saying, "It's always in the last place you look."

The woman broke from her thoughts, "Is…is that the thing that…that turned…"

She couldn't even finish the sentence, so the red head merely nodded again. Over a million questions swam through her mind; what to do now? Throw the thing away? No, the 'Cons might find it. Off in the distance, she could barely make out Soundwave's voice-what he was saying, she couldn't understand. Why was he even still here? Did he even know they were still alive? Was he coming back to finish the job? Call in reinforcements? What should she do?

Just then, Jazz's words from a few days ago came back to her.

_Let your instincts guide you. When the time comes, you'll know what to do._

Suddenly, the answer came to her…and she wondered if she'd finally gone insane. Could she really pull off what she was about to do? But thinking about her mom being trapped; not knowing when help was going to come…this was the only way to help her now.

Mrs. Matthews broke the silence, "We've got to get rid of that thing!"

But as she reached for the chip, the red head's hand balled into a fist, and she took the pendant back-holding it close to her heart. Blind eyes narrowed in determination as she spoke, "No…I'm not letting Soundwave get away with this. He's gonna' pay for what he did to us."

The mother glanced at the girl oddly; wondering what she was thinking, "Kayla…you're not thinking of…"

Her daughter's cheeks flushed as she became angrier. The mom realized her child was serious, and her eyes began to water, "Oh God, Kayla! NO! Don't do this!"

"Or what?!" the red head snapped, "The cassettes broke into our house; tortured us. Soundwave destroyed what was left. You're pinned under a support beam. We got no way of calling the Autobots, and we don't know if help's coming!" She held up the chip to emphasize her point, "If I transform, I might be able to get us out of here!"

The woman failed to hold back tears, "Please don't do it! You'll be killed!"

"And if we don't do anything, we're dead anyway", the girl finished.

Mrs. Matthews went silent; not knowing what else to say that could possibly convince her daughter otherwise. She knew she was powerless to stop her now-all the more emphasized when the girl rose to her feet; head held high with confidence, "You're in no position to stop me. I'm going to do this."

The resulting quiet told the musician her mom was angry-obviously thinking her child was doing this for kicks. So, to prove her wrong, the girl smiled, "I'm going to save you."

At those words, the mother looked up at her daughter with wide eyes, filled with fear…as well as an odd sense of pride. She hated what the girl was about to do, but she was still impressed with her total courage…Peter would be beaming right now.

Slowly, and carefully, Kayla took a few steps back. Her hand now clenched the chip so hard, it made an Autobot imprint in her palm. The first time the transformation happened, it was a pure accident; how was she to purposely get it to work now? She thought about her mom being trapped…how she wanted the power to help her. How she wanted the ability to finally fight back; to protect her family…protect everything she held dear…her home…her friends…

Suddenly, she felt a burning sensation as the pendant began to react. Beams of red light burst through her fingers, and the mother gasped at the sight. But the musician wasn't afraid-she was exhilarated. She had faced the Decepticons before…but now she was going to fight…on EQUAL ground.

As the red light absorbed her body, a phrase came to her. One that would ignite the transformation, and all future ones if she lived through this day. Since it was her first and possible last, she let her voice scream it out to all who could hear.

"AUTOBOT MODE, ACTIVATE!!!"

Soundwave found Hook to be rather annoying, and yet, he couldn't help but silently thank his comrade for the first aid skills he picked up from him. There was no way the cassettes were making it back to headquarters-not with the injuries they sustained from that filth of a human. The giant tape deck was kneeling in the middle of the road; trying his best to patch up his minions. If he could at least get them stabilized for the long trip, he knew they'd be okay.

He was just about finished up with Ravage, when suddenly, an odd, but strangely familiar humming sound started up behind him-increasing in volume until it blocked out all other noise. The Decepticon peered over his shoulder-eyeing the house he mercilessly destroyed. A thick plume of smoke and dust still hovered around the pile of rubble…only when a bright ray of red light shot through the haze did the mech give his full attention.

The 'Con glanced at the cassettes once more-making sure they were in a safe place, before rising to his feet. Slowly and cautiously, he crept toward where the dwelling once stood-wondering if what he heard and saw was real. Or was his panic over his injured minions making him hallucinate? Either way, he wasn't taking any more chances, to which Laserbeak circled overhead for good measure. He tensed when he picked up the distinct sound of debris being moved…

And suddenly, an orange and aqua femme lunged from the smoke-completely airborne; fist geared back for a punch. Even behind a visor, her optics glowed with a fierce intensity-expression screaming nothing but full blown rage and revenge.

Soundwave only had enough time to flash his greatest "oh frag" face, before receiving a dead center knuckle thrust to the jaw. The sheer anger-induced force sent him flying off his feet. He hit the pavement; making it crack from his dead weight of being spread eagle like a KO'ed boxer.

Kayla stood tense and at the ready; taking heavy breaths through her air vents. All the while, her heart/spark pounded in an odd mix of rage and excitement. Few humans ever get to say they sucker punched a Decepticon. She was also thankful the transformation went much smoother than the first time-perhaps because this time, it was of her own will. Hopefully, changing back wouldn't be as hard either.

The femme put that mental note aside as her mind harkened back to something more important. After listening to make sure the tape deck wasn't getting up any time soon, she spun on her heel and knelt down to where her house once stood, "Mom! Are you still there? Say something!"

"I'm down here!" called a voice; now five times smaller than it was a minute ago.

Following the voice, the girl carefully felt her way through the debris-not wanting to accidentally crush her own mother. At long last, she felt the accursed support beam in her fingertips. With one, gentle motion, she lifted the board off her mom's trapped legs; the two ton beam now feeling like nothing more but a toothpick. The woman started to try and stand up, but before she knew it, two giant hands cupped around her body, and she was lifted up to Kayla's optic level.

"Are you okay?" the femme asked; her worried, once-normal voice now loud and metallic.

The mother could only stare at her daughter in wide-eyed shock-still not completely believing what she was seeing. Back at the Ark, she only caught a glimpse of her child's transformation; now she was eyeing it up close, in all its glory. Is this what her daughter and her friends felt when being held by the Autobots? Her child just turned into a robot, saved her life, and was holding her over ten feet off the ground…what COULD she possibly say? She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Suddenly, the musician let out a scream and fell forward; still protectively cupping her hands around her mother. The woman peeked through the giant fingers, only to spot a trail of smoke coming from the femme's back. She gasped in horror, "Kayla! What happened?! Are you hurt?!"

The girl's face wrenched as she tried not to let her pain show. The agony was a whole new experience, but the sound was all too familiar-she had been shot in the back with a laser rifle. So, Soundwave played hard AND dirty? She expected such a cheap shot from Starscream, not the former. Apparently, foul play ran all across the 'Con ranks. Knowing time wasn't on her side, she carefully set her mom back down on the ground, "Can you walk?"

The woman tried taking a few steps. Both her knees and ankles were throbbing, but that was nothing compared to having a house dropped on top of her, "I can manage."

"Then get outta' here!" the musician waved an arm, "I'll hold him off here 'till help comes."

The mother shook her head, "I'm not leaving you!"

The red head let out a groan; now was NOT the time to start another argument. With a sigh, she began to rise to her feet, "Then find a safe place to hide."

Mrs. Matthews threw her head back to watch as Kayla stood up-towering over the woman; sun gleaming off the shiny metal. The mother then spotted the tape deck also beginning to rise. As he brushed himself off, the girl's optics narrowed in determination; a clear sign she was ready to take whatever he had to dish out. Mech and femme faced each other like two gunslingers in the old west-the entire world seemingly coming to a stop. In that moment, the mom's brain finally told her legs to run, and she slowly began to sprint backwards-taking one final look at her daughter, before heading off for a thicket of trees a few yards away.

_God, protect her._

Kayla was done with waiting. Her boiled up anger came out in a battle cry as she charged forward-hands balling into fists. Soundwave wasted no time in aiming his gun straight between her optics; pulling the trigger in rapid fire succession. Nothing but clicks followed. The tape deck swore at himself for underestimating the mission; of all the times for him to not bother to fully charge his weapon…

The girl was only a foot away from him-just enough time to send out one S.O.S. burst. Not that the Decepticon wasn't confident he could beat the Autobot-wannabe…he just wasn't sure how long his cassettes could hold out. One of the Seekers could cart them back to HQ while he dealt with this irritation. His cockiness couldn't be more true as the femme finally reached him and began throwing punches. Being blind, she could only throw left and right hooks at furious speeds-hoping to make any contact. He couldn't help but applaud her bravery and swiftness…but her strategy was downright laughable. Taking the first opening he saw, he sought to give his opponent a reality check by socking her in the gut. All the wind left her vents, and she doubled over…then more insult was added to injury as the mech swung his foot up; catching her shoulder and knocking her back. The musician plowed through the next door neighbor's white picket fence, but managed to stop herself just short of falling on the house beyond.

"Hope Mr. Welker's insurance is paid up", the femme thought, as she got back on her feet.

Halfway through rising, sounds of clanking metal assaulted her audios…but it was the heavy vibrations in the ground that caused her to pause. There was no doubt in her mind that Soundwave was running toward her. Only a few seconds to respond-what to do? 

  _Let your instincts guide you. When the time comes, you'll know what to do._

Before she knew what was happening, her body already decided for her. The mech was practically on top of her, when she suddenly sprang up; grabbing him by the waist. The two metal giants fell away from the house and back into the street; hitting the ground in the world's largest football tackle. The pair soon became a ball of destruction-toppling telephone poles and flattening cars as they rolled back and forth. Eventually, the tape deck managed to flip himself around-jabbing his elbow into the girl's back; pinning her down.

But this time, the femme could crack a tiny smile-it was the training room all over again.

Just like before, the red head's fist was free, and it came flying backward; catching him off guard with a hit to the face. In the few seconds he was distracted, the femme threw her arms up; wrapping her hands around the back of his head. She then channeled all her strength into flipping the mech up and over her, ending in a body slam.

…only this time, it WASN'T working. Clearly, the Decepticon was much heavier than Jazz, for try as she might, lifting him was proving impossible.

Instead, Soundwave took advantage and grabbed HER by the arms; easily flipping HER over like a rag doll. The musician went tumbling a few yards-creating massive cracks and craters in the pavement in her wake. She let out a grunt as she tried to get up quickly-every joint crying out for mercy. The one move she knew how to do was ineffective, so what next?

_Rule one; yer' senses, 'specially yer' audios, are yer' lifeline. Ya' gotta' always stay alert._

She was so focused on getting up and keeping the pain at bay, she nearly forgot to keep an ear open for her opponent. Already, the familiar vibrations were stepping closer; faster this time. Her mind raced through her options; couldn't repeat the same move-he'd be wise to it now.

Well, if punching didn't work…

The tape deck was seconds from grabbing his enemy, when the femme suddenly spun around at lightning speed-windmill kicking him across the chest. Her effective "eat foot" message was underlined by the crack left in the glass of his tape cartridge. Although he wasn't completely thrown off his feet, the Decepticon was still left stumbling backwards, more in shock than actual pain.

Kayla knew she finally had a prime chance to muscle in a few revenge-fueled attacks. Unfortunately, her plan was unceremoniously cut off by Laserbeak swooping down at her head. The girl had all but cast aside the tiny fact that there was still one cassette left standing. And of course, she thought with nothing short of sarcasm, it just HAD to be the one that could fly. The mechanical bird continuously dove at the femme; claws outstretched-squawking and scratching at her face. He may not have spoke English, but it was crystal clear the falcon had his own revenge plans in mind.

The musician held her arms up for protection-crying out as razor sharp talons tore at her metal skin. Between swoops, she managed to grumble out, "If you're tryin' to peck my eyes out, you're really wastin' your time!"

At long last, the red head got her timing right, and flung out her arm. Laserbeak was met with a hard smack-damaging part of his left wing. Instantly, the bird dropped like a rock; falling into a batch of telephone wires on the way down. One electrical shock later, and he was out like a light on top of a mail box.

The girl's tiny victory was short lived, however, for the distraction was all Soundwave needed to come charging again. Instinctively, the femme held out her hands-ready for anything. The tape deck threw a punch, only for it to be blocked by her outstretched palms. When she didn't let go, the two were soon locking hands; wrestling with every last bit of stamina to overpower the other. The Decepticon was quick to show off his strength; easily pushing the musician backwards. But the girl struggled with all her might-knowing a row of homes lay just behind her. She wasn't about to let her neighbors lose their houses too, and she drove the point home when her feet began to bore into the pavement.

"Struggling is futile", the mech stated matter-of-factly; the first thing he uttered since the whole fight began. He was completely on his own; all his cassettes were down and out…and still, the mech was 100 percent certain he'd be victorious. And unfortunately, Kayla could understand why he was so confidant. Deep down, she was still just a human pretending to be an Autobot, who barely had her fighting legs. How could she possibly overcome such a powerful opponent? If there was ever a time she was in over her head…

_You know what he said was true, and I know everyone here thinks the same. I've been turned into a robot, and I'm still holding everyone back._

A single tear of optic fluid trickled down her cheek. Soundwave pushed back even further. It was hopeless.

_You've been granted a power you never should've gotten. Using it properly is another entity entirely._

She thought of the Autobots finally arriving to find her dead body lying across the cul-de-sac. How spark broken Jazz would be…and more importantly, how devastated her mom would be. She would be letting down everyone she ever cared about. Her mom would be all alone, with no house, and it'd be all Kayla's fault.

Metal cheeks flushed. The sorrow turned to anger.

" _Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't fight! Why does everyone treat me like I can't take care of myself?!"_

A new wave of adrenaline fueled the femme. She knew her mom was watching her-rooting for her-praying for her. When she said, "I'm going to save you", she meant it. Soundwave wasn't about to get ANY satisfaction what so ever. The anger turned to rage.

She was going to prove she could be a soldier; to her Mom, the Autobots…and to herself.

_The Kay' I know never gives up, no matter what._

"I can DO this."

The tape deck was too preoccupied keeping his optics locked on his victim, that he didn't notice the tires on either side of the femme's helm flipping around. Only when he heard a crackling noise did he glance up…and flash his second-biggest "oh frag" face for the day.

One moment, he had almost wrestled his enemy into submission; the next, he was flying backward as pulses of deafening sound exploded from the girl's shoulder speakers. The new attack had caught him so off guard, for a moment, he was too stunned to fight back. But even as the earth-shattering noise mercilessly pelted his body, he slowly began to rise to his feet. Who cared if the fleshling developed similar powers? There was no way he was going to let himself get shown up by such an amateur. He'd show her how it was REALLY done.

The mech quickly activated his own speakers; blasting out decibels meant for taking down buildings. Kayla figured the 'Con would fight fire with fire; she just hadn't expected how hard the pulses would smack back. But then she remembered she wasn't fighting Jazz. She wasn't sparring with a friend that would hold back; trying to teach her something. This was an enemy out to kill her-to make an example of her. But she wasn't about to quit; not now. Never. If she could just hang on a little longer…

The entire neighborhood shook as both sound waves clashed; each one trying to overpower the other. The femme held her ground; internal radio searching the airwaves. The tape deck just used plain old noise-pitches used for one purpose and nothing else. The musician was at least going to get creative. "Do it with style, or don't bother doing it", as her best friend repeated time and again. Her point was all the more emphasized when she belted out the loudest song she could possibly think of.

 

_BABY YOU'RE A FIREWORK_

_COME ON, SHOW 'EM WHAT YOU'RE WORTH_

_MAKE 'EM GO, "OH, OH, OH"_

_AS YOU SHOOT ACROSS THE SKY_

_YOU'RE A FIREWORK COME ON, LET YOUR COLORS BURST_

_MAKE 'EM GO, "OH, OH, OH"_

_YOU'RE GONNA' LEAVE 'EM FALLING DOWN_

 

Cars bounced on the pavement. Brick foundations vibrated. Every last window in every house lining the street cracked. A good percentage shattered completely-glass exploding outward like confetti. But the girl didn't care. She knew it was a small price to pay in order to make sure Soundwave was taken down.

The tape deck was forced to one knee; summoning every last ounce of power to his speakers. How could this mere human equal his strength?! It was impossible! He was about to crank up the volume even higher…only to discover he already had it turned up as high as it would go.

Over the noise, the Decepticon yelled out, "Surrender now!" But internally, even he cringed. Was he saying that to the femme, or to himself?

But Kayla was about to teach him to never face the fury of a woman scorned. Amps cranked up as she screamed:

"NEVER!"

 

_YOU GOT THE TOUCH_

_YOU GOT THE POWWAAAAAAAAAH!!!_

 

And with that final, ominous cord, the pressure proved to be too great. Soundwave's own visor cracked-his speakers sparked and shorted out, and he was hurled backward. Concrete and gravel exploded from the ground as he slid back, leaving a ditch over a quarter of a mile long. When the Decepticon finally came to a stop, he could do nothing but sit in his own personal crater; trying to gather his senses as well as his pride. He lost the chip, his cassettes, and the battle…to humans. This day couldn't get worse…

Just then, someone cleared their throat. The tape deck turned at the voice, only to hold back a groan.

"Never thought I'd see the day you got beat by a femme."

Thundercracker. And he just HAD to show up right now; just in time to see his comrade's public humiliation. The jet had his hands on his hips; looking down on his fellow mech like a disappointed older brother. Soundwave shot him a challenging glare-the old "talk and I'll kill you" stare. The Seeker, in turn, got the message perfectly; sending a sneer as he quipped, "Sorry it took me so long. Lemme' do a little pest control here, and no one'll ever know, 'kay?"

After Kayla's last burst of music, the neighborhood had gone dead silent-save for the girl's heavy panting. That last attack had all but sapped her of her energy. She was lucky to still be able to even stand. Never the less, she tried her best to keep her back straight and chin up; shooting dagger glares in their direction. She couldn't let on just how weak she truly was. Beating Soundwave was a feat in an of itself-now what about Thundercracker? She didn't stand a chance, and they all knew it. The Seeker grinned; leveling his arm rifle at the femme's spark chamber. The girl, hearing the hum of the gun, prepared to fire more sound blasts…but also braced herself. At least, in the end, it could be said she didn't go down without a fight.

"Goodbye mom", she mumbled, "I'll say hi to dad for ya'."

But just as the blue jet was about to fire, the odd Mexican stand off of sorts was cut short by the sounds of a siren off in the distance. The 'Con took pause to scan the area; keeping his rifle trained on the femme while his optics focused on something far over the horizon. But the girl didn't need to listen twice to hear the unique alarm and know exactly what-or rather-who it was.

_Ratchet._

"Slaggit", the jet grumbled, as if he read the musician's thoughts, "Autobots are inbound."

Soundwave slowly rose to his feet; his comrade having to help him up, "How many?"

"Six of 'em at least", the Seeker did a quick head count, "ETA, roughly two clicks." He turned to the communication officer, "And right now, I'm your only back up."

The tape deck knew the odds were against them. Outnumbered and outgunned, they'd be road kill in a matter of nanoclicks. The two Decepticons then glared at their opponent still standing at the ready. Sensing why they paused, the red head snapped, "Do whatever you want with me. But be warned-you'll have a VERY angry saboteur on your backs for the rest of your lives…and he ALWAYS finds his enemy, no matter what."

Thundercracker and Soundwave glanced at one another. Stay and be surrounded by Autobots? Or flee and fight another day? The tape deck would have some serious explaining to do back at headquarters as to why he failed in securing the chip…but at least he'd be alive. He gave the Seeker a nod, before pointing to the cassettes. The jet got the message and transformed, to which Soundwave carefully loaded his injured minions into the cockpit one by one. Once everyone was secure, Thundercracker repositioned himself; ready to take off…but not before giving the femme one last warning.

"This isn't over", he spit, "Even if you get rid of that thing, you'll never be safe. We know where you live. We'll hunt you down…ALL of you. Any human who helps an Autobot is an enemy of the Decepticons…you can't hide forever."

The girl crossed her arms; looking anything but intimidated, "…who said I was hiding?"

The sirens grew louder. Salvation was almost upon them. With one final glare, Soundwave and Thundercracker blasted off into the air, retreating until they were nothing but a speck in the sky.

The second the Decepticons faded from her audio range, Kayla let out a long bottled up sigh of pure relief. For the moment, it was over…it was FINALLY over. And she herself couldn't believe she actually went head to head with Soundwave…and won. Half the battle was already becoming a blur to her…and the rest of the world was going with it as she collapsed to her knees; utterly exhausted. At what price did her victory come? Her house was gone, she was on the Decepticon hit list…her Mom…

Her breathing was so heavy, and the sirens nearly on top of her now, that she almost didn't hear a tiny voice calling out behind her. Only when she felt a tapping on her foot did the femme finally turn to give the distraction her attention. Far below, Mrs. Matthews stared up at her oversized child-frightened, amazed, and relieved all at once. The mother had finally crawled out of her safety spot, but was now too stunned to do anything else. All she could mutter was:

"Kayla…"

The femme carefully picked up her mom; cradling her in her enormous hands as she held her at optic level. Optic fluid began to pour as she stuttered, "Mom…I…"

But the woman cut her off, "It's okay, Kayla…" She then managed a tiny smile, "You did good…really, really good…"

And with those words, nothing else in the universe mattered.

The Autobots pulled up; Cliffjumper, Ratchet, Bluestreak, Brawn, and Bumblebee, with Jazz leading the way-all transforming before they even came to a full stop. All six could do nothing but stare in horror at the pile of rubble that was once their friend's house-the destruction branching out to the rest of the neighborhood. Every mech hung their heads in shame…they were too late.

And in the middle of it all, sat a battered and bruised femme; tears flowing from both her optics, and from her mother's.  A giant girl and a tiny woman; holding onto each other as if the world only consisted of the two of them. They lost everything they ever owned…but it was okay.

They gave up everything to save each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The pre-battle drama in the house turned out longer (and arguably better) than I expected. I just got so excited; I realized I've been hankering to write a scene like this. What would the humans do if they were facing a Decepticon completely on their own, with no guarantee of any Autobots coming to the rescue? I had a cake, and I wanted to eat it.
> 
> The bit with the shot gun was a last minute idea. I got them all in a corner and didn't know how to get them out, when having a hidden weapon in the house occurred to me. It made sense to me, since Kayla's dad was an army captain. Plus, as an added bonus, Mrs. Matthews got to redeem herself for the earlier water works and prove she can be a bad ass when she has to be. Consider it motherly instinct.
> 
> And it looks like even Kayla's dad lent a helping hand in his own special way... 
> 
> And I know the "chip being in the pocket the whole time" deal was sorta' anti climatic. There were other versions I toyed with, from Kayla stealing it, to Wheeljack letting her keep it, but this version made the most sense to me. 
> 
> Never, EVER get Kayla mad...that's all I have to say. "Firework" is officially her theme song. And I just HAD to include "The Touch"...I had that planned from day one.


	10. Chapter 10

_And coming up tonight at ten, terror befalls a local neighborhood when an Autobot and Decepticon battle is waged right in amongst people's own homes. One house is completely in ruins, and residents are saying the owner might've actually been an associate to the Autobots. Reports of any injuries or casualties have yet to be released, although this recent attack begs the ongoing debate-should human-kind be involved in an interstellar conflict that wasn't even ours to begin with? Even with the Autobots swearing to protect us from their enemies, is humanity truly safe? I'm Susan Blu, and coming up, we-_

"Aw, turn it off."

The big TV screen winked out with a resounding click of the remote. Spike glared at the blank screen, looking nothing short of disgusted, "That's the news for you; always blowing things out of proportion, trying to scare people more than they already are. The Decepticons could care less about us-they've only gone after the people personally if the person had something they wanted."

Carly, however, who was sitting next to him on the couch, drew in a worried breath, "True, but try to understand that not everyone in the world knows what goes on in the Ark. Even I forget that there's only a handful of us who help the Autobots on a day to day basis. Most likely, the press is never going to fully discover what truly sparked the whole disaster."

The boy glanced at his girlfriend; both curious and concerned, "You really think Optimus'll just leave everyone in the dark like that?"

The blonde nodded, "As honest as he is, I think even he knows how worse off we'd all be if the press got wind of an invention that turns humans into robots. He wants to get rid of the thing anyway, so what's the point of causing even more of a ruckus? He's kind, but not stupid." She reclined back into the cushions; staring up at the ceiling as she mulled over the past few days, "Still…those stuffy reporters DO have a point. For all intents and purposes, this was an isolated incident, but just how long is it gonna' stay that way? This whole mess proved the 'Cons aren't above stooping low to get what they want. They've left us alone up to this point because they knew we were protected. But these guys TRACKED Kayla down. They found out she was leaving and finally saw their opening. They know now that the 'Bots can't be around us 24/7. What's to stop them from going after Chip, or Raoul, or your dad…or you and me?"

Spike rested his chin in his hands; giving her the usual "I'm your boyfriend, so I'll look after YOU" expression, "One thing at a time. You'd make a perfect anchor for the news."

"Very funny", Carly groaned. She crossed her arms; signaling she wasn't joking around, "All I'm saying is, the public senses there's a change in the wind.  The 'Cons are getting bolder-their strategies different, and even if everyone else doesn't consciously know it, they can feel it. So can I. And we need to be ready."

The boy kept his eyes on the floor, not wanting to meet the girl's gaze. It was hard to accept, but he knew she was right. The press wasn't going to let the 'Bots fully live this down. Within a matter of weeks, all the rules were changing, and humanity was caught in the middle. But not one to let his fear show, Spike let out a huff, "They could've at least said how the 'Bots were helping to rebuild the neighborhood. The Protectobots, Grapple, and Hoist have been cleaning up for three days straight now."

Carly nodded, "Yeah, they should have. Last I heard, they were setting to work on constructing a new house for Kayla and her mom."

"By the way", Spike scratched his head, "Where is she anyway?"

.

.

.

"And down that way is Wheeljack's lab", the musician pointed with her cane, "Although, I guess you already knew that."

Her mom held back a sigh, "Oh yeah, I remember THAT."

The girl ignored the sarcasm behind the remark; instead scratching her head as she thought. The mother grew nervous, "You okay? Need help?"

"Nah", the red head waved her off, "Just tryin' to get my bearings is all. Now, where haven't we gone yet…?"

Her voice trailed off as she mumbled to herself. In the meantime, the woman glanced around at the orange walls that surrounded them. Hallways shot off in all directions-all doors looked the same. How anyone managed to not get lost in such a huge spaceship was beyond her. She knew her daughter was a master at memorization…but to learn the map of this place, then reinterpret it for a blind person…

The mom was pulled from her thoughts when she was literally pulled by the arm and led down a new corridor. The girl tapped her cane as she went; smile returning, "Come on, the quarters are this way. Another fifty steps and we'll be at Jazz's room."

Mrs. Matthews resigned herself to being led down the new passage; keeping quiet as Kayla pointed out everything they passed; a new memory or story to share for each room, around every corner. For the past week or two, both red heads had been staying at Autobot Headquarters-laying low while their house was rebuilt and the press ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. Both Carly and Chip had graciously offered their homes to the duo, but Optimus Prime insisted they stay within the fortified Ark for their own protection. The mother suspected he also wanted to make up for what happened to them in any way he could. And considering the state they were found in, there was no argument.

Not long after Jazz and his team arrived on the scene, Kayla transformed back to her human state, before collapsing. After the last of the Decepticons were driven away from home base, both her and her mom were immediately rushed to the Ark, and taken straight to the med bay, where Ratchet and First Aid tended to their injuries. At the time, the woman was too shell shocked to complain-happy that her and her child were finally receiving SOME kind of help. With the wounds dressed and everything in relative order, the two were ushered to the human quarters, where both passed out and stayed that way for the rest of the evening and into the next morning. It wasn't until three days later that they were fully up and about again, receiving updates on the outside world through the news and the 'Bots themselves.

Everyday since then, Kayla dedicated herself to giving her mother a proper tour of the Ark. No door was left unopened; no floor unwalked. Every last nook and cranny was explored and explained down to the last detail. The girl even revealed an air vent (small to a robot; big for a human) that Spike and her friends used as a shortcut to get from one end of the ship to another. It was their own little group secret that confused the heck out of the Autobots as to how they got across the Ark so fast. Mrs. Matthews couldn't help but laugh…until her daughter offered to take her through it, and suddenly, the thought of navigating a pitch black tunnel made her nervous. Not that she doubted the musician's prowess, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth either.

Just then, Bluestreak came plodding down the opposite direction; stopping when he saw the mother and daughter walking past. He asked the duo how they were feeling, and for the tenth time that day, both responded with a nod and shrug. Same question, same answer, different Autobot. In their time of being bed ridden, the duo explained to their friends just what exactly had happened at the house, so suffice it to say, the amazed mechs were giving the girls the star treatment since then. And as much as the mother longed to be left alone just for a moment, strangely enough, she couldn't find it in her heart to be angry anymore. The 'Bots were kind enough to open up their base/home; taking care of them as if they lived there all their lives…even after all the hateful things the woman said before. As various mechs encountered them, they took the time to make idle chit-chat; talking as if the fight from before never happened. And Kayla, in turn, would make introductions, before asking the usual about reports; how a recent injury was healing up-things of that sort. It was like she never left, and for the moment, the girl was happy to keep it that way. Any sense of normalcy was better than having to face the grim reality on a constant basis.

The mother held back a groan; karma was such a son of a-

"We're here!" the musician broke the silence that befell the hallway after Bluestreak took his leave. Both red heads found themselves standing in front of a large, automatic door…just like all the other ones that lined the corridor.

The woman shrugged, "And here is?"

Her question was answered when the doors suddenly opened with a swish, and out stepped a familiar face.

"Hey there, lil' lady!" Jazz smiled down at the two. He looked to the mother and gave a curt nod, "Ma'am." Optics were then back on Kayla, "I was wonderin' when you two would make yer' way around 'ere."

"Just savin' the best for last", the girl quipped without missing a beat.

The saboteur let out a laugh; jabbing a thumb at the musician, but optics directed at Mrs. Matthews, "And who says this girly girl's blind? She's got th' best eye for everyhin'!"

The mom couldn't help but smirk, "I've always thought that…but I don't think it's been until just now that I've really started to learn it."

The Porsche nodded; understanding that she had a lot more on her mind when giving that statement. A short pause later, he cleared his throat-trying to break the tension, "Well? Are ya' two just gonna' dawdle out 'ere? C'mon in…I got a lil' somethin' for ya'."

Kayla took her cue and walked past like a seasoned guest, "Aww, you're too kind. What's the special occasion?"

Jazz chuckled; same old girl as always. He then glanced at her mom, who was still hanging back-eyeing the room as if only members were allowed. She soon found herself being gently pushed inside by a giant, metal foot. The saboteur flashed a toothy grin, "Well c'mon! Ya' don't need a ticket."

With that, the woman slowly edged her way inside; eyes carefully examining everything in the room. Clockwise from the left of the door was a giant desk; a personal computer sitting on top with various notes stuck to it like one would see in any office. Next up was the oversized stereo, with stacks of records, cassettes, and CD's surrounding it like a makeshift fort. A recharge birth in the corner-nothing glamorous there. The rest of the space was devoted to storage and a huge, but still rather comfy looking couch. All n' all, it almost looked just like the girl's bedroom…only giant. And yet the mother still couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. This was the area Kayla spoke of the most-where she spent a good chunk of time bonding with Jazz. She could almost imagine them cracking jokes; making music together. And not once did the mother believe she'd ever step into this room, much less the Ark, period.

She realized just how much of her daughter's life she wasn't involved in, and it filled her soul with a bit of shame. It was the equivalent to finally gaining access to the cool, neighborhood clubhouse, only to be embarrassed that you had no clue who everyone was or how the rules worked.

"So, what do you think?" the musician broke the awkward silence. Mrs. Matthews turned to see the girl casually walking backward; retracted cane hanging from her belt loop; arms open dramatically, "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Uh, yeah", the mom forced a smile, "Very…homey."

And it WAS, really. She had to figure that with the war lasting so long, the troops had to cling to whatever touches of Cybertron, as well as the worlds they visited, that they could. She understood that from her husband; a personal quarters became a soldier's own little house…a tiny world he could escape to, if only for a moment. And suddenly, she found herself relaxing, the more the thought sunk in.

"Here ya' go, Kay", Jazz made a box appear seemingly from nowhere. He shoved the oddly-shaped package into Kayla's hands, who felt it over carefully. A pull of the ribbon and tear of the wrapping paper, and…

"Aw, Jazz…" the girl held back a tear.

A new guitar sat cradled in her lap; deep orange decorated with blue music notes and stars. She petted the all too familiar object as if it were alive, before joyfully plucking a silver string. The humming note sounded like Heaven.

"Courtesy of Mr. Scratch", the saboteur explained; sitting cross-legged next to the two women, "I stopped by his shop to tell him what happened, an' he told me to give ya' this. He can't wait to see you two again."

The musician looked up in the mech's general direction; cheeks flushing, a smile from ear to ear, "You guys are the best."

The Porsche gently cupped the red head in his enormous hand; pulling her close, "Considerin' all that's gone down, I'm glad ya' still think so."

The two musicians were content to just sit together-not saying a word; listening only to the random melody the girl strummed as she tuned up her new instrument. All the while, the mother stared at the peaceful scene, lost in her own thoughts. Just those few words and simple gestures spoke unimaginable volumes at how close the two had become. How well they understood each other. And how they could lose everything they ever had, and not care in the slightest. As long as they could be together-still stay friends, they were okay.

And suddenly, it all came full circle as the woman realized that Kayla fit in with the Autobots more than any other place in the world. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, the whole experience showed her just how vulnerable they were in trying to separate themselves from the 'Bots. Maybe it WAS better to stay as their associates after all…

A huge finger tapped Mrs. Matthews shoulder, and she turned to see Jazz smirking at her-no doubt silently inviting her into the group hug. She gave an arc of the eyebrow; showing she wasn't a fool, "You're making this really hard for me."

The saboteur chuckled; knowing exactly what she was talking about, "Am I now?"

Just then, the doors to his quarters swished open, revealing his fellow black and white comrade, Prowl. The police car blinked at the odd scene-the Porsche sitting Indian style on the floor, cuddling with the two red heads; one looking annoyed at the intrusion, the other relieved. But he cleared his throat and carried on like he saw nothing, "Prime wants to see you three in the mess hall. He's calling a bit of a meeting together."

The trio nodded. They didn't need to hear anymore to know exactly what the discussion was about.

.

.

.

Really, only Optimus, Jazz, Wheeljack, Ratchet, and the two red heads were needed for the discussion. But it wasn't long before other mechs filed into the hall-taking seats and already mumbling over what the possible outcomes could be. Kayla and her mom were healed up; pretty much over the initial shock of their recent tragedy, and their new house was nearing completion. Prime had said nothing as to what the sudden meeting was about, but considering all the aforementioned facts, it wasn't hard to hazard a guess.

Said leader expected the turnout, oddly enough. When an ally of the Autobots was severely harmed, the resulting ripple affected everyone in some form or another. His fellow soldiers deserved to know what was going on, especially if a friend's future was being called into question.

Just then, the door opened one final time, allowing Jazz to enter the room. All optics were on the Porsche, as he carried Kayla and Mrs. Matthews on either of his shoulders. Clearly, this was the first time the mother ever rode on an Autobot, for she clung to the mech's helm for dear life; holding back gasps of trepidation. She practically kissed the ground when they were finally set down on the table closest Prime, so they could be at eye level with the 'Bots. The mom hissed a low and quick, "don't ever make me do that again" to her daughter, but sharp audios caused a few nearby mechs to chuckle. Spike, Sparkplug, Carly, and Chip had already taken their respective seats, but slid over to give the new arrivals some room.

Just then, Optimus clapped his hands together, "Alright everyone, settle down."

Silence fell a mere second later.

The 18-wheeler gazed at the crowd before him; all of whom gave their undivided attention-starring with expecting optics. So he minced no words and got right down to business, "Considering the amount of you here, I expect you've all already read the reports. Some of us are still out in the field cleaning up a certain mess, so I won't bore you with details you already know. The fact of the matter is, this new invention-this chip that turns humans into robots, seems to have opened up a new can of worms, as Earth people would put it. And I've called this meeting to discuss just what our next decision should be regarding this matter." He eyed both red heads as he continued, "I'm sure you're probably wondering why I haven't just dealt with the matter myself, but this situation concerns both Autobots and our human allies. It's only fair that both sides have a say in the matter."

Said group of humans all nodded at one another, before glancing at Kayla. If she was nervous or worried, they couldn't tell, for her face remained flat and unreadable. And then, to the surprise of all, it was her who broke the uncomfortable quiet, "Well, first things first. Did anyone catch what our neighbors have been sayin'? 'Cause I'll be shocked if they don't already hate our guts just a teensy bit."

Both Optimus and Ratchet heaved a sigh; proof they were more than fed up with the mountains of questions being thrown at them. The ambulance started, "I've been in constant contact with the Protectobots. According to First Aid, the locals are obviously steamed about the damage…but I think getting a quick and free repair job by us has lightened 'em up a bit. Give us one more day of work, and the whole block'll look as if nothing happened."

Mrs. Matthews eyes were full of dread, "And…have they said anything about us?"

Ratchet knew by "us", she meant her and her daughter. He tapped his chin with his finger as he thought, "Well…judging by the confusion, I assume you never really outright told anyone about being buddy-buddy with giant robots." The mother shook her head, so the medic continued, "Although, with Jazz, or any of us really, picking you two up nearly every day, a few had their suspicions."

The woman nodded; accepting the news, but looking none less worried. Carly raised her hand, "Where were the neighbors when the…thing happened, anyway?"

The ambulance seemed to brighten at the question, "Actually, most of them weren't home at the time. The few that were took cover in their basements and missed most of it." His tone darkened as he added, "Still…they DO find it a bit odd that only one house in the middle of a bunch was completely destroyed, and the others left standing."

The mother rubbed her temples, feeling a whole new headache coming on. The musician sighed and folded her arms, "Let's just put it this way-does anyone know one of the robots was me?"

Ratchet shook his head, "No. Bumblebee told me it wasn't until after I left with you two that the neighbors came home, or out of hiding. They DO notice you're missing, but they don't know where you are, and we haven't told them either. Whatever cover story you wanna' tell them is up to you." "So basically, they're gonna' have questions, but they're not gonna' immediately go for their pitch forks and torches either", the girl's question sounded more like a statement.

The medic nodded, "For your sake, I hope so."

Mrs. Matthews hardly looked relieved, but Kayla thought different. Another hurdle to jump, but at least this one was a bit more manageable. Coming up with a "we were on vacation" excuse would be a cake walk compared to what was coming next. The burning question escaped her mouth, "And what about the press?"

An exasperated groan echoed around the room, as if to say, "you just HAD to bring it up". But no one felt the sting more than Optimus himself, who had to single-handedly deal with one reporter after another shoving microphones in his face. As he started to speak, it was clear in his tone he hated the press, but didn't want to come out and say it.

"Suffice it to say, the media is in a firestorm", the truck explained, "They have too many questions and aren't getting the answers they want. I keep insisting this incident was just a random attack, but they clearly only believe me to a certain point. They know something bigger is going on, and they're afraid that whatever it is, is going to get out of hand."

Sparkplug rubbed his forehead in annoyance. Being the unofficial ambassador of sorts to the Autobots, along with Spike, he knew the responsibility of keeping the reporters calm would inevitably fall on his and his son's shoulders. He waved a hand, trying to look confident, "There's always gonna' be nut jobs makin' a mountain out of a molehill. You leave the press to us. I'm sure they'll sing a different tune when it's a human deliverin' the news instead. We'll just keep tellin' 'em we got the situation under control, and that's that."

Spike nodded his approval, before looking to Prime with a smile, "Face it, Optimus. You're a great leader, but a lousy liar."

A soft chuckle rippled across the crowd, to which the truck rubbed the back of his head-cheeks blushing underneath his face mask. As long as everyone's spirits were lifted for the moment, Ratchet looked to Mrs. Matthews; smirking as he added, "We're just putting the finishing touches on your new house. You should be ready to move back in tomorrow. We tried our best to make it look just like the original."

The mother appeared ready to cry. Deep down, nothing would ever quite replace their old home, and there would still be a lot of work to be done when they finally came back…but to have a new house ready and waiting in a matter of weeks was nothing short of a miracle. When she didn't answer straight away, the musician spoke for her, "We don't have to see it to know we already love it. We can't thank you all enough."

Jazz let out a laugh, "With all the updated electric and reinforced steel walls I told 'em to put in, you'll have the safest house within a ten mile radius now."

Optimus smiled at his third in command-always noticing the finer details that most people miss or don't think about. But soon, his expression grew serious again as the true order of business had to make itself known, "Now that our more immediate matters are settled, we can concentrate on a much bigger problem." He turned to the red, green and white mech standing next to him, "Wheeljack."

The Lancia nodded, before reaching into a subspace pocket and holding up the transformation chip in his fingers. At once, the whole room was hushed again. His optics passed across the room as he explained, "After examining the chip inside and out, I've made one more crucial discovery." His gaze then fell to the musician and her mom, "It appears that the device has formed a bond with Kayla's DNA. When I tried activating it by force, it wouldn't accept my access codes."

The girl's eyebrow arched, "What do you mean, "bonded"?"

"I mean that no one, not even me, can get the thing to work anymore", the scientist shrugged, "Now when this rewrite of the transformation sequence happened is hard to say. Could've been because you were trapped in the suit for so long. Although, my guess is when you purposely activated it the second time around." He starred at the chip; rubbing his faceplate in thought, before looking back to the girl, "Either way, it seems that this little charm only works for you now."

Nearly everyone in the mess hall was now starring at the red head, who could only blush and curl up in a ball, wondering whether to be relieved or worried. Did her actions just save the Autobots a lot of trouble, or only make a bigger mess of things? She hated to have possibly ruined Wheeljack's prized invention. Apparently, her human companions had the same question, for Chip raised his hand, "In that case, what're you going to do with it now? There's still a ton of things about it we haven't gotten to study yet."

Had the situation not been as serious, 'Jack would've grinned. That was Chip Chase-caring to his friends, but never forgetting the science. The Lancia sighed as he ticked off the options, "I was thinkin' the same thing. I don't want all my research to completely go to waste, which is why the blueprints have been comin' in handy for my latest project."

Spike tensed up, "And THAT is?"

"A new take on the "protective suit" idea", the scientist put his hands on his hips with confidence, "Still gotta' find SOME way to keep you humans safe. I wouldn't worry this time, though. These ones are gonna' be a lot less…invasive, if ya' know what I mean."

All six humans collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, armor that would just STAY armor, and not involve bodily transformations. But from somewhere in the back of the room, Skyfire made his voice heard, "But even after you've completed these…"exo suits", or what have you, what will ultimately become of the chip?"

Wheeljack scratched his head; starring at the pendant as if it would give him the answer, "I'm not sure…it still wouldn't be great if the Decepticons got a hold of it. But if even I can't turn the thing on anymore, I doubt they'll have much luck either. If they DID steal it, I'm pretty confident they wouldn't be givin' us trouble with it."

Never the less, Kayla's heart still pounded in her chest. The 'Cons may not have been able to use the chip now…but Thundercracker's cryptic words still rang in her head. Her, her mom, and her four friends sitting beside her were now officially on their enemy's hit list. Pendant or no pendant, they were all going to be targeted…and all because she picked a fight with Soundwave. She did more than beat him down, she injured his pride. To be subdued by a human, even one in a battle suit…well, she could only imagine how much more a 'Con could loathe an Earthling after that. It was then she realized that her and her mom couldn't just simply move into their new house and go back to the way things used to be. Any attack thrown upon them would be her fault…she just couldn't put her mom through that again.

In that moment, the girl made her decision. She had been mulling it over ever since the battle in her neighborhood, but this new revelation made her finally take action. Now was the only time she could act. But before she could speak out, Cliffjumper piped up, "That stupid thing's caused more trouble than it's worth. I say destroy it."

A wave of mumbles erupted in the crowd, with more than a few nodding in agreement. Others didn't seem very sure, with optics darting between Wheeljack and the group of humans sitting nearby. If this concerned Earth people so much, surely they'd be given a choice? In all the excitement, no one noticed Kayla rise to her feet; expression appearing to be a mixture of anxiety and anger. Her fellow humans glanced at her-wondering what she was up to. She cleared her throat, but still, no one listened; too enthralled in arguing amongst each other.

Finally, the musician let out a loud whistle, "HEY!"

Immediately, the bickering ceased. All eyes were on the musician. And blind or not, she could still feel each and every one of their stares. Her heart caught in her throat a moment; not expecting such a sudden, dead silence. But what she had to say was important. She took a deep breath; it was now or never.

"Um…" her mind raced to conjure up the right words, "If…if this chip only works for me now…then shouldn't I have a say in what we should do with it?"

The mechs looked at one another; some shrugging-most nodding. Mrs. Matthews looked apprehensive, but never the less, let her daughter carry on. Optimus fully turned to the red head, "It's only fair, Kayla. What do you suggest?"

There was a long pause as the girl lowered her head in thought. Was this the right thing to do? She was already starting to slowly repair the burnt bridges between her mother and the Autobots. Was what she was about to say going to reopen the wound? She supposed there was no turning back now-it was time to finally express her true feelings-not just to those closest to her, but to everyone. Her head rose, and what she said was spoken loud and clear.

"…I wanna' keep it."

The entire mess hall erupted in an explosion of gasps and utterances of "what?!", "what did she say?", "is she crazy?!" Even Optimus took a noticeable step back; blinking in surprise. All at once, Spike and company sprang to their feet; mouths open in complete shock. Only Mrs. Matthews looked on in growing horror-she knew exactly what her daughter was thinking…and she knew she had to think of a way to convince her otherwise. She started to reach for the girl's shoulder, "Kayla…please, think about this."

But her hand recoiled back when the red head pressed forward, "I've done enough thinking. We've all done enough thinking. It's time we took action."

"What do you mean by "we"?" Carly asked.

The musician continued, knowing the blonde would get her answer soon enough, "All these years, humans have been at the mercy of the Decepticons-always waiting to be rescued by Autobots and never being able to fight back. And what happened at my house is proof that we're not safe anymore." She motioned to Carly and the gang as she spoke, "The 'Cons are officially after us now, and we're going to need a way to defend ourselves."

"I'm aware of that", Wheeljack nodded, "That's what the exo suits are gonna' be for."

"Even so", the girl sighed, "You wouldn't have made them if it wasn't for the chip first."

"Maybe", the Lancia crossed his arms, "But the pendant could be potentially harmful to the body if it's worn for too long."

"I understand that", Kayla began to pace a bit, "But I'm willing to take that risk if it means being able to protect the people I love. If I didn't have that chip, my mom and I probably would've died before you guys even got there."

A chill went up the mother's spine as she thought back to that fateful morning. Her child DID have a point. It was only because of the girl's Autobot mode that they were both able to escape the wreckage of their house. And the image of the femme facing down that…that monster, would be burned in her retnas forever.

She was broken from her flashback when Optimus spoke, "And we all greatly commend your bravery-both you and your mother, in the face of the enemy. Not many have the bravado to challenge Soundwave alone. And it's most…fortunate that you were able to defeat him."

"He's tryin' to say you got lucky, kid", Sunstreaker interrupted. He tapped the table top with impatience as he added, "Next time might be different."

Kayla put her hands on her hips-showing she wasn't about to back down, "So, I'll train. Just like we did before. And besides training and teamwork and planning, part of winning a battle IS luck anyway. My dad knew that better than anyone." Her tone softened considerably as she remembered, "He also taught me that you have to fight for what's yours, and what you believe in." Hands balled into fists as her face bore determination, "If this war's using Earth as it's battlefield, then humans deserve to help fight for their planet."

Prime looked to his troops, who all glanced at one another; silently considering the girl's words. Their attention drew back when she continued-hand on her heart, "Prime, it's time for humans to take a stand against the Decepticons, and I wanna' be at the forefront of that fight. If you'll let me…" She waved a hand toward her friends, "…if you'll let US, we want to become real soldiers. With the right technology, I know we're capable." She turned to face her friends that she knew were standing behind her, "…who's with me?"

A moment passed as Spike and company glanced at one another, seeming to debate the issue in their heads. But soon, one at a time, each nodded to the other-the decision was clear. Carly stepped up and placed a hand over Kayla's outstretched one; grasping it for a shake, "I'm with you."

Spike slid next to his girlfriend, putting his own palm in, "Me too."

Sparkplug put his hand on the pile; overshadowing all the other ones with his own massive grasp. He shot his son a smirk, "Oh no, you ain't joinin' nothin' without me."

Chip wheeled himself up to the group, and they all lowered their team handshake so he could reach up and place his palm in, "Don't forget me. Someone has to look after all of you."

The quintet of friends all chuckled, with Kayla's smile growing from ear to ear-both proud and heart warmed that they were all sticking by her in support. Finally, they all turned to face Mrs. Matthews; the only one who had yet to offer her hand to the group. Each one stared at her with expecting eyes-to them, the issue was clear. The mother's gaze fell to the floor, not able to meet their stares. She turned her back to the group; arms folding as she tried to think it over. Grins soon turned to light frowns, and the team patted the red head on the back-signaling she should talk to her mom. The musician nodded, and carefully stepped in the woman's direction.

"Mom?" she inquired with a tilt of the head-voice soft, but still loud enough for most to hear. When the woman didn't answer, the girl continued; trying to choose her words carefully so as not to start another fight, "Mom…please…I've never felt more strongly or certain about anything in my entire life. Maybe even more than music…I have to do this."

Mrs. Matthews fought back tears; still not turning around, "I know." The answer surprised Kayla, but she stayed quiet, letting her mom vent, "Somehow…I know I won't be able to stop you this time…but still…I just can't bear to think of what could happen to you if you do this."

A single sob escaped her throat, but she finally turned to face her daughter when she felt  someone take her hand. The girl's grip was gentle, but her eyes were hardened and serious, "Dad never let fear or insecurity get the best of him. He did what he did because it was his duty. A duty to do everything in his power to protect everything and everyone he cared about." She took a step closer; their faces now inches apart, "That's the sense I get right now."

A tear trickled down the mother's cheek, "But…your…your eyes…"

"Is a disadvantage that I can turn into an ADvantage", the musician cut her off, "I'm tired of my handicap being treated like a weakness…of ME being treated as weak. I KNOW I can do this. And I've got the greatest friends in the world to help me. I wanna' prove what I'm capable of…if not to the world, then to myself, and to you."

The woman couldn't find her voice; too overwhelmed with what her daughter was telling her. It was nearly word for word the discussion her and her husband had when he was first deployed…could she really go through this again? Worrying about her child every day? Not seeing her for months on end? She was about to shake her head and speak, but the red head beat her to the punch.

"Please", she sighed; almost pleading, "This is our chance to be part of something bigger than ourselves. The Autobots are going to need all the help they can get…and I feel like I'm finally doing something with my life…something that truly matters. And it's my choice to go with them."

The mom clenched her eyes shut; not wanting to cry and not wanting to look.

"I'm sorry…" the girl said at last, "But I'm not a baby anymore…it's time to let go."

Sensing Kayla's speech was over, everyone collectively held their breath-staring at Mrs. Matthews; wondering what she was going to say. For the longest moment, the mother thought over her daughter's words…thought over her entire life, really. From struggling with her blindness; trying to fit in-make friends; meeting Jazz and the others; how understanding and involved she was in their missions; how she went from no friends, to comrades that would give their lives for her in an instant…and then there was the attack on the house. The mother went into a full panic…but not her daughter. She knew everything about their attackers-how they operated…and she saved them both. The mom knew that if Kayla wasn't there, she wouldn't have survived. She owed her daughter her life…and maybe something else too.

It was then the mother realized her child had a true calling with the Autobots. She grew up-both figuratively and literally. And if the girl really had found her purpose in life, the mom knew she had no right to stop her. Sparkplug's words were true…it was time to let her go.

Mrs. Matthews took a deep breath, and with a heavy heart, she released her daughter's hand-voice barely a whisper.

"…okay…"

Kayla's eyes widened…and then she took her mom in a full on embrace. All her frustration and worry left her very being as she sighed in relief, "Thank you."

The woman tightened her grip around the girl; head buried in her shoulder-tears flowing as if that moment would be the final time she held her child, "I swear to God, don't make me regret this decision."

The red head smiled, "I won't."

All the while, the Autobots looked on at the scene with nothing short of admiration and pride. The amount of strength and courage these Earth people displayed was beyond amazing. And they were right to call Optimus out on his own words. Freedom WAS the right of all sentient beings.  And if these people chose to join their fight, then they deserved to be given the boosts they needed.

Prime looked to his troops, "All in favor of keeping the chip, say "I"."

Every last hand rose; even Cliffjumper, who glanced at Kayla with a new found respect.

"I."

"Any against?" the leader asked.

All hands went down.

Prime nodded, "Then it's settled."

And then the room exploded into cheers and applause. Spike, Sparkplug, Carly, and Chip all rushed over and joined the two red heads, creating the biggest group hug imaginable. Ratchet looked on; failing to hold back a smile, even as he turned to Jazz, "What are we going to do about training? It's going to get tricky to still operate this base and instruct them at the same time."

Over the hoots and hollers, Jazz cracked a grin, "I got it covered. I got a group a' buddies on Cybertron that train new recruits."

"Oh really?" the medic tilted his head, "How come I never heard of them?"

"Come on, man; you know stuff's real hush-hush up there", the saboteur put a finger to his lips for emphasis, "Gettin' the gang there'll be a trip, but once they are, what they'll learn'll be invaluable."

The Porsche left the explanation at that; turning back to look at the group of humans-smiling especially at the red head, who had the guts to stand up and pledge allegiance to a cause she was ready to put her life on the line for. He could tell a new chapter in the war was about to begin.

And he prayed to Primus that Kayla and her friends would not only help them win, but be able to play an encore.

.

.

.

.

 

_One Year Later_

 

Mrs. Matthews typed away furiously at Teletraan-One; listening for any sign of life from the computer. But every channel remained silent, and the mother sat back in her chair-letting out an exasperated sigh. She then heard someone come up next to her, and turned to see Sparkplug holding out a steaming cup of coffee. She took it gratefully and inhaled the sweet scent.

"Thanks", she muttered; blowing at the contents before taking a sip.

"Thought you could use it", the father chuckled, "Nervous?"

The woman rolled her eyes with pure sarcasm, "How could you tell?" She set the cup aside; stretching in her seat, "This is the first time in over two months that Kayla's been able to send a message to us. Of course I'm worried about how she's doing. How her AND Spike are doing."

The father took a seat next to her; eyes serious, but still smiling, "I know how ya' feel…'course, she's probably just as worried about you."

The mother let out a half-hearted laugh, "Oh, I'm sure. Probably thinks I've blown the place up by now."

At that point, Sparkplug let a full blown laugh escape him, "Well, I gotta' say, you WERE pretty green when ya' started here. Couldn't tell a microchip from a potato chip."

The woman shot him an acidic glare, to which the man seemed to crumple in her mere stare; realizing too late he went too far. Thankfully, Chip Chase came to his rescue. The computer wiz rolled up behind Mrs. Matthews; eyes apologetic, "Aw, you REALLY did it now." He turned his focus to the mom, "I think what he's TRYING to say is how far you've come in the time you've been here."

"Thank you, Chip", the mother smiled; completely ignoring her teasing companion, "It's still funny; looking back and thinking how I was so against coming here. Now I feel like one of the boys."

"You are", the father nodded-trying to make up for his earlier mistake, "And it beats bein' cooped up in a boring hospital all day."

The woman shook her head; finding herself defending her "average" job as a nurse, "Trust me. Hospitals are ANYTHING but boring. Coming here is like taking a vacation."

A moment of silence fell between the trio. Chip glanced at Teletraan's readouts, before glancing at Mrs. Matthews, "Message day, huh?"

The mom nodded.

The computer expert sighed, "I'm anxious too. Last time I heard from Spike, he was giving me stats on the exo suits. So far so good, but I still wanna' hear how he's doing. He misses Carly a lot."

"Where IS Carly anyway?" the mother asked.

"With Wheeljack", Sparkplug took a swig of his own coffee before continuing, "He said he's making new improvements on the suits. She offered to play guinea pig. Not that she's not excited about message day or anything-just that she feels doing this brings her one step closer to him. As soon as this new suit's working, she'll be goin' up there with him."

The woman nodded, "I see." Her eyes fell to the floor as she let her mind wander, "…Peter would be so proud…of everyone."

Another silence…and then…

The control panel began to beep and flash. Instantly, the trio sat up straight in their seats; Chip's hands flying over the buttons faster than the eye could see. He turned to the mother-face brightened with delight, "Incoming message from Cybertron. Text only."

Mrs. Matthews' heart skipped a beat. The three humans crowded around the view screen as Chip punched in the necessary passwords. And a moment later, words began filling the screen, and the mother began reading the message she had been waiting for, for what seemed like an eternity.

 

_Dear Mom, and to the gang at the Ark,_

_Sorry I haven't been able to respond in a while. Been real busy with training, as well as a lot of other things. Most of it I can't say here-kinda' ruins the whole "secret military base" thing. You know we already had to move once. Still, we're keeping Shockwave and his cronies on their toes-the raids are proving to be a success. I've found I'm really good at creeping around dark hallways-wink wink. Some of the basic intel is attached to this note; the rest'll come from Jazz's mouth himself when he gets back._

_It was such an awesome surprise to hear his voice again; I hugged him right there on the spot. I would've played a song for him too, but he couldn't stay long. Just enough to drop off organic food rations, say hello, then get on with business. This place definitely isn't the Ark...but the people here make it all worth it._

_Spike has his own separate report, which he's sending along with mine. Tell 'Jack the suits are working just fine, and tell Carly that her boyfriend sends his love. And I wish you guys could meet the femme's too. They have a separate base from us, but we still work together a lot. You'd really like Elita-One, Mom. She reminds me of you a lot. And Moonracer's become like a sister to me. She asked me the other day if our little secret team had a name yet. I laughed and told her she was one to talk, since apparently, all her team came up with was "The Femmes". Still, with all the secrecy, Spike, me, and a few others have found ourselves starting to call our team "The Black Company Club." Pretty cool, huh?_

_But in all seriousness, though, the excitement largely outweighs the fear when a new mission crops up. I can't thank you all enough for letting me go on this journey. I feel like I'm finally making a difference in the lives of others-both on Earth AND Cybertron. I can't believe that close to five years ago, I was just an average person, wondering what to do with my life, and now, I'm a soldier who can become a femme at will, and fight for the future of both our planets. If I could go back and tell myself what was going to happen when I first met Jazz, I wouldn't change anything for the world._

 

And then, just as Mrs. Matthews was getting to the last couple lines, a new window popped up on the screen. And what she saw brought a smile to her face.

It was a snapshot of Jazz and Kayla in her femme form. Obviously, someone at base had taken it when the two thought they were alone, for the image was severely tilted. But it was still perfectly clear.

And the two musicians were kissing.

 

_Tell everyone I love them, and to stay safe. Hope to visit you all really soon. As the Autobots say, 'till all are one._

_Love,  Kayla_

 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: When I came up with the character of Kayla Matthews, I had no idea that so many people would take a liking to her. I can't thank you all enough for your comments and support. Taking this journey down memory lane and with this red head has helped me to become a better writer. I'd like to solely focus on my original works now. But Kayla will always hold a place in my heart. I hope you enjoyed the Kayla trilogy as much as I have writing it. Be sure to check out my original webcomic, "Jamie Jupiter"! Message me for details!
> 
> Kayla -*winks and blows kiss* Peace!


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